We Make The Garden Blooms - shivangoes - A Song of Ice and Fire (2024)

Chapter 1: Headcannon

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Hi, Thank You for reading this fic. The following is the head cannon i will be using, but you don't need to read it in advance to start the fic.

Thanks again for reading and please Kudos, Comment and Share if you like it

The Seasons of Westeros

When characters say winter year they do not mean a year with only winter as we understand it. The way their seasons works in this timeline is that the overall temperature and climate changes but in each year you still have a normal summer, winter, autumn and spring. These are called the Hot, Cold, Fall and Bloom months

For example Riverrun during a winter year would be like the north of France and will see snow in the Cold(winter) months but will still have nice warms Hot (summer) months. However in the summer years will be like the south of France thus will see little or no snow even during the cold (winter) months.

Map of Westeros:

I'm elongating the Stormlands, the Dornish mountains and Lands under the Hightowers along the Honeywine river so that Dorne is visibly under the prosperous lands and also under the Honeywine Bay/Whispering Sound and the Reach.

This means the Arm of Dorne when is existed did not slope down as much as fell off a cliff, descending steeply. This creates Storm Alley where storms from the Summer sea come, batter the Stepstones and then move on to the Stormlands similar to how Caribbean storms batter the Caribbean islands before battering the mainland US.

Downstream of Highgarden there is a town called the Mander Sept which acts as a religious and commercial center for House Gardner's lands and is the second Largest settlement in the Reach

The Lands Around the Honeywine are also known as the Lands of Always Summer, similar to Valyria and are nourished by a constant stream of rains from the Sunset Sea. The Hightowers are thus owners of the richest land in Westeros and are able to almost match Highgarden in terms of manpower and agricultural production despite the latter's superior landholding around the Mander River, making Highgarden be on the lookout constantly.

The North is literally half the continent.

Castle Cerwyn is south of Winterfell on the Cerwyn River a tributary of the Wolf Knife

The Wintertown a couple of hours trek (and less than an hour on Horse) from Winterfell is on the Wolfs Knife acting as an important port on the river. It is the second largest settlement and port in the north

The origin of the Wolfs Knife is the Direwolf Mountains, these mountains which are part of the lands owned and governed directly by House Stark are a source of copper, tin and for these two metals are to Westeros what the Westerlands are to Gold.

Green men or druids are common in the north, not as common as septons in the south but common enough. They are like historical druids in that they are the priest of the Wierwood faith, or faith of the old gods and act as advisers, leaders and judges. Some are Wargs and Greenseers but most are not

Map of Essos

The Sarnori Kingdoms were battered but not defeated but the Dothraki invasion.

I know GRRM wanted to make them analogous to the Mongols, Huns etc. But the way he created their culture it shows that outside of a few victories by overwhelming the troops of the opposing side with sheers numbers the Dothraki are not a threat.They are unarmored, do not herd non-horse animals which severely limits the amount of food and hence size of the hosts, and are proudly illiterate and against any forms of diplomacy other than bribery, are based on constant violence and i simply don't like them and its my fic. I mean the Dothraki were not new and the Sarnori were not part of Valyria, which means they had to have fought the Dothraki alone for centuries.

The Ghiscari have been transported from east of Valyria to across the Summer Sea onto to Sothoryos, exact same map with the Gulf of Grief and slavers Bay and the desserts but just flip it and put in Sothoryos. The continent has thus been elongated in order to have a dessert north, similar to Africa with the Sahara on the top

The Lands east of Valyria are now lush mountainous and filled with dozens of smaller city states each rich but smaller than the free cities. Think Fantasy Greece. Called Helen

East of the Helen Peninsula, where there is OTL Qarth and Isle of Moraq instead you have the White coast, These are now independent kingdoms but were once part of Valyria. On the extreme southeast of the sunset, separated from the Ghiscari lands and the White coast by rocky mountains and harsh deserts is the Qarth Straits, a narrow and treacherous passage controlled by Qarth (think the red sea if there was a natural passage where the Suez Canal Is) only narrower and more rocky. It is framed by harsh desserts on one and the Qarth peninsula on the other.

This leads to the Moraq Kingdoms and Moraq Sea, and if you sail past these you would then get Jade sea with the Yi Ti and Leng on the north, Opposite the Mainland of Essos and Yi-Ti The Kingdoms of Ind are in the south ( which may or may not be part of Sothoryos. Also present in the larger ocean are other lands which are half myths such as as Ulthos, Ashai etc

Chapter 2: Prologue

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House Gardener claims its descent from Garth Greenhand, the High King of the First Men via his eldest son Garth the Gardener, First King of the Reach. An enviable heritage to be sure, one which made it fitting then that House Gardener would be the one to unite the Reach under their rule. However while House Gardener was famous for their legendary founder they were even more famed for their position as Kings of the Reach. From their petty kingdom ruling a stretch of the river Mander, they soon grew on the back of their military strength and shrewd diplomacy. Until they came to rule the Mander proper becoming one of the most powerful houses in the Reach, controlling the mighty river and the lands, one of Westeros's most fertile, surrounding it, giving truth to their words “We Make The Gardens Bloom”.

However House Gardener’s ascent would be halted by the coming of the Ironborn. During the Ironborn Age murders, reavers and rapist would attack at any moment, their longships coming to shore before any could even notice them on the horizon. Like many other of the Houses at the time the Gardener’s paid tribute to the Krakens, not that this would stop the pillaging. After generations of terror, the Gardener Kings were able to grow strong enough to finally overthrow their oppressors. Under their leaderships the Kings and Lords of the Reach swept the squids back into the sea, with Garth Goldenhand taking the shield islands from the Ironborn and using it to defend the Mander and the Reach.

Over time the Gardener’s would bring more and more houses under their rule, using diplomacy and marriage instead of war when possible though they never cowered from battle. But this practice is the one which allowed them to continue to hold on to their lands and titles despite the Andal Invasions. In time the Gardener’s would come to rule the Land we all know as the Reach today. That is not to say they were invincible or all knowing, after all the reign of Garth Greybeard showed that the Gardener’s could lose control of their lands just as any other Noble family, But there was no doubt among the people of Westeros however that the might and wealth of Highgarden could be matched by few.

As such when Aegon Targaryen sent word of his claim to Westeros, the Lord and Princes of the Reach cared little for his supposed strength and instead bickered on who would get what part of the dragons once they slew these exotic beasts, so confident they were in their own strength.

None took heed of the past glory of Valyria for Valyria was now dead having been lost in the Doom, none took heed of the writings of maesters of the battle prowess of Dragonriders for they were old men forever enamored with the slaveholders of the east. None remembered the tales of traders and adventurers from across the narrow sea telling of the might of the Great Valyrian empire, built by the Dragon Lords who had defeated every type of army known to man , none took heed of common wisdom telling that charging at an army even a smaller army on an open field when the other side had fire breathing dragons would have them killed, even the burning of Harrenhal was not enough, for it was the work of Rivermen who had been crushed by the reavers Reachmen overthrew millennia ago.

No one took heed,

Except one

Prince Garth Gardener, third son of King Mern IX, also called the Maester Prince though he had no chains, showed none of the confidence of his kin and instead implored the King and House Gardener to use diplomacy once again instead of force, pointing to Harrenhal as evidence of Aegon strength. In fact more concerning to Prince Garth was House Hightower’s surrender. For they were one of the richest and most powerful House's not just in the Reach but also Westeros, controlling the most fertile soil surrounding the Honeywine, the most productive orchards on the shores of the whispering sound, some of the richest mines of iron, copper and other metal in the Red mountains, the Largest City in Westeros which was the only player and thus center of Westerosi cotton trade with the cloth of Honeywine cotton being prized in Old Valyrian empire, the Grand Dukes of Oldtown, indeed the only Non royal Grand Dukes in Westeros were powerful and the fact they bowed to Aegon without a fight was all the proof Prince Garth needed about the Dragons might.

But his pleas were dismissed by the foolish old king, who had tales of glory whispered in his year by both his bannermen and even the “loyal” stewards of House Tyrell, who saw this as an opportunity to increase their own power and standing in the Reach. As such, the king decreed, a fortnight before they were to march to meet the forces of King Loren of the Rock, Prince Garth and his three sons Willas, Lyonel and Mern were to remain behind at Highgarden.

This punishment was in the end known to Westeros as the Gardeners Salvation, which along with the Great Betrayal and Mern’s Folly would change the course of House Gardener and the Reach forever.

Chapter 3: The Great Betrayal

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As most Westeros took time to come to terms with the demise of House Hoare and the rebellion of the Riverlords, started by House Tully, the Kings of the Reach and the Westerlands were offered no such respite. For troubled brewed on their borders. Both Kingdoms had a hatred of the Ironborn, born from countless battles and instances of broken peace, and both shared a long border with the Hoare’s empire on land and Sea and as such they kept themselves abreast of the situation there. They knew better that any ,but perhaps the Riverlanders themselves, just how hated the Ironborn truly were and also that Aegon Targaryen now had the undying loyalty of the Rivermen who he had finally freed from the tyranny of the Ironborn.

This created many problems for the two Kings. In most Ages, the Riverland’s were rich and fertile yes, but also weak due to squabbling lords and lack of order. Even if a leader emerged and was able to overcome those large hurdles the Riverland’s had many fronts to guard, forbidding them from combining their forces to become a true power. In this manner they were very much similar to the Reach whose expansion had been constantly thwarted by the fact that gathering its strength against one enemy left it vulnerable to others.

Now however, with the Starks and Arryns hidden behind their gates and the Durrandons extinct in the male line, with the only daughter married to Aegon's baseborn bastard brother, the armies of the Riverland’s could gather in force, which they did at the Stony Sept. This was a wise choice by Aegon for it was clear that the army at the stony sept could either march west to the Westerlands or south to the Reach at a short notice. And as such the House’s Lannister and Gardener had no choice but to confront them as soon as possible if they did not want their lands to be invaded. Of course however diplomacy as advocated by Prince Garth was not a welcome solution and to be fair to those who lusted for battle the odds were in their favor, the combined hosts of the Green Hand and the Golden Lion numbered five time the host of the Targaryens. All the rules of war made victory all but certain.

If not for one not so small fact, a one with which the westerosi only just become familiar after the demise of Harren the Black but was a very important one indeed. This fact was to be ignored only by the foolish who paid greatly, the fact which caused the High Septon, the Hightowers and wise men to advocate peace. The fact? Dragons can burn even the greatest of hosts and keeps.

King Mern ignored this truth and when ravens arrived from Crakehall announcing that King Loren's host was heading towards Goldengrove from where he intended to march upon the stony sept, He rallied his own host, determined to meet with King Loren and from there strike a fatal blow against the false King Aegon. Soon the host was ready to depart.

The day was not somber or foreboding but....Joyful? well there was a certain anxiety there to be sure however the confidence of the men of the reach in their own marshal prowess meant that for them defeat was inconceivable. The men at Highgarden were more worried by the chances of an accident rather than death on the battlefield, all men but one.

Prince Garth Unlike his kin, vassals and subjects was in a visibly somber mood. His warnings had been dismissed by all openly though by then the Prince was growing suspicious of his “loyal” steward who seemed to be going above and beyond in getting all men who bore the Gardener name to fight Aegon. Lord Harlan Tyrell, the High Steward, even advocated on behalf of Prince Garth despite his clear reluctance and his adamant stance of the folly of this war. However the king remained firm in his punishment, his son would not get to bask in the glory of House Gardener's triumph over Dragons, even if his grandsons had to suffer for their fathers cravenness. And so the men of the Reach left for a war of triumph, or so they believed. It would take a few days for the two hosts to meet at Goldengrove, more for them to march on the stony sept though it was doubtful that Aegon would wait at the stony sept for his enemies. The question then was would he meet the in battle or use this as an opportunity to take any of the unguarded lands of the reach and Westerlands?

While Highgarden held its breath, with the once crowded halls themselves silent with anticipation, Prince Garth was in despair. By now he knew even without proof that the Tyrells had betrayed them, not by action but inaction, by sending his whole family to a hopeless and doomed battle. Lord Harlan was just too astute, too cunning to not have realize his father's folly, if he wanted he could have averted this damn war, could have made the Green King parley with Aegon, but he did not, he instead encouraged King Merns dreams of splendor but for what? It was difficult for Prince Garth to imagine what his aim was, for surely mere stewards, servants, would realize they could never hold Highgarden which seemed the only thing Prince Garth thought they would covet, though even this was tough to swallow down, like the cheap homebrewed wine one finds in ramshackle taverns.

For now Prince Garth main worry was the safety of his sons and Himself, for whatever the aims of House Tyrell, his presence had surely altered their plans. If the Tyrells had turned their cloaks even if only in their souls and not in body, Prince Garth his sons were in grave danger. To this affect his and his sons food was tasted before being served and they were guarded by those personally selected by Warren, his trusted swornsword, who while at his age was now weak in body had a mind sharper still than any sword.

The Prince got to work, he began spreading his men out, putting them in key positions across the keep, gathering all his skill in the game of power so as to ascertain who could he trust to stand by his side against any rebellion. He knew his activities were not gone unnoticed by Lord Harlan even if he did not comment upon them. Three nights after the Host left Highgarden, when he was entertaining his younger two with a story of Harlon the Hunter, one of the two founders of House Tarly, it was as if the Crone had Lifted her lamp as inspiration hit Prince Garth on solving his dilemma

Two Sennights days after the Host left Highgarden, Prince Garth announced to the court that he would go riding the next day with his sons, patrolling the lands around Highgarden. And so he left early next morning with his sons and a very light guard leaving the bulk of his trusted men at Highgarden.

Prince Garth had accurately deduced that House Tyrell had limited resources by which they could commit treason. The presence of the Host under King Mern meant that even if the men of Tyrell blood for now outnumbered those of Gardner blood in the keep the Guards, stewards and other servants would not break from the Green Hand and would foil any open rebellion the moment it appeared in front of them . As such the only way for House Tyrell to gain from this is war was by gambling on Aegon destroying House Gardener like he destroyed Harrenhal while striking and removing Prince Garth and his sons discreetly.

As such seeing the bulk of Prince Garths troops staying back at Highgarden Harlan Tyrell ,after it is believed some hesitation on the possibility of an unseen trap, deduced it would be safe to strike now, he must have predicted Prince Garth believed that House Tyrell would not gamble a battle on an open field. This it turns out was almost accurate for Harlan and House Tyrell were too deep now to stop it seems. As Prince Garth Left Lord Harlan sent every single man whose loyalty to him was absolute, including his cousins, uncles and most of the men who bore the Tyrell name and blood who were still in Highgarden. All in all nothing would be left to chance. 70 men of House Tyrell and their guards would do the deed. Was sending 4 times the men compared to Prince Garths party too much? To many perhaps but not to Harlan Tyrell.

It was all for naught it seems for Prince garth had anticipated the move. There was indeed a hidden trap. One of Warren's sons had been sent to the town of Mander Sept, where a small detachment of Guards had been kept to guard the town and defeat bandits as was tradition. These men, many of them graying were the ones who were summoned to accompany Prince Garth to deal with some bandits, as such when the Tyrell's came they found themselves outnumbered, defeated and executed by the Prince who had broken the Golden Rose

As they Day progressed normally, Harlan Tyrell is said to have made his way to the Throne Room where, after a long gaze upon the Oakenthrone he sat down, a look of pride upon his face. It is said that this was when his brother Ser Edmund Tyrell, the only other adult Tyrell man is said to have chastised him on his arrogance for the Oaken throne was not theirs yet. What Harlan Tyrell though to that is lost to the ages for at that very moment the many doorways which lined the walls of the throne room banged open as bloodied men-at-arms and guards, both from Prince Garth's men along with those from the Mander Sept and Highgarden poured in.

Surrounding the confused and shocked Tyrell's, however even before they could demand an explanation they were once again shocked, and then filled with a fear so chilling that it was as if they were standing upon the top of The Wall, as Prince Garth walked in with his sons, the boys eyes were wide and their movements and form silent as they shuffled in behind their father. Behind them more guards walked in these time bringing in the members of House Tyrell mostly the women and only the youngest boys for the men were dead. Ser Edmund upon looking at his kin being dragged in chains nearly unsheathed his sword and charged only held back at the dagger a guard placed on his wife’s neck and his brothers hand which gripped him as tight as iron holding him in place.

Finally upon the passing of many long and tense moments, where Harlan met his eyes with that of every member of his household, he found a peculiar emotion, not quite acceptance, not quiet resignation or rage but a mixture of the three.

They had lost their gamble, they had let the arrow loose in the dark, hoping and praying it remains true so that they may succeed but it seems the seven did not favor House Tyrell, or at least not more that they did the Gardeners. In those moments Harlan Tyrell knew it was in facthisLine andhisHouse which would meet its end today. There was nothing more to say, the golden roses had tried to take the Garden only to find that they were to be pruned completely from it.

At long last Harlan Tyrell spoke “And so it ends” to which Prince garth replies “it does”. Harlan was seized by the men but not before making an aborted attempt at attacking Prince garth. The Guards rushed forward capturing Ser Edmund, on the Prince's orders the Tyrells were to be taken to the dungeons immediately, along with any of their trusted servants and close friends and allies. Prince Garth also had the Grand Maester and his assitants write the events which had occurred into a letter to be sent to Goldengrove by raven from where a rider was to take it to the King in hope to make him see reason in light of the Great Betrayal by House Tyrell who had served the Gardeners Loyally for centuries.

As the prisoners were taken to the cells and the Grand Maester left for the ravenry, Prince Garth oversaw a purge of Highgarden, locking up any where there was even a hint of suspicion.

As the Prince walked to his chambers tired, he could not shake the feeling that though the garden had been pruned of the golden roses, it might not matter as dragonfyre may well burn it all down into ashes. With this dark thought the prince fell asleep praying to the seven to ensure that he would see his kin and friends again soon whole, healthy and most importantly alive.

Chapter 4: Dark Days

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Chapter 5: Conquest of Highgarden

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Each room of Highgarden has always been decorated with stained glass window from Myr, each more beautiful than that of most town septs and this one was supposed to be no different, how could it be, being the rooms allotted to a prince? The Prince in question had been brought to his chambers after he had collapsed in a likely storm of emotions though mainly panic. According to the Maesters records it was believed to be due to news which had upset the princes humors though the suggestion of bloodletting the prince was waived by Ser Warren who declared sleep was enough for now. The next morning the Prince returned to the healing chambers to hear the tale of the burned Knight. Despite his sons protest he keeps them out of the main room, The story was unbelievable and terrible to listen to and is one of the most famous accounts of the battle which would come to be known as the Field of Fire,

Chapter 6: The Short Peace and the Conquest of Dorne

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The Feast of the Gardners Salvation the singers would later call it, telling the whole realm how after King Mern’s folly in battling Aegon, his wise son Garth bent the knee and preserved the Gardner line. What the singers don’t sing about was the fact that the feast felt more like a funeral. All of Highgarden was in mourning, whether due to them losing loved ones or due to the fact the Reach, the single mightiest kingdom in all of Westeros fell to a foreigner with an army of less than 3 thousand. However not all the tears shed were of sorrow, many were of joy for most of the men-at-arms did arrive safe and unharmed. It is doubtful King Aegon ever felt relaxed that night or any night in the first few years into his reign, however despite that he still conducted himself admirably, talking to all in Oldtown Andal, the tongue of the Maester and the Nobility.

The creation of the Targaryen kingdom would have many ramifications for the Great Houses of Westeros. One which was felt by the Gardeners early was that of Noble titles. Each Kingdom had its own ranks and in the Reach after King and prince the next highest one was that of Grand Duke Held by House Hightower. This created a problem for House Gardner could not take said title without lowering themselves in rank to their bannermen. However this dilemma was solved by one of the new Maesters of Highgarden and at his investiture, the Gardeners would become the First and Only Archdukes of Westeros, creating a brand new title inspired by the Archmaesters of the Citadel, the tri-arch and arch-ons of Valyria.

King Aegon would formally make Garth, Warden of the South, Lord Paramount of the Reach and Mander, Archduke of the Reach Proper and Lord of Highgarden. A Title which had caused not small jealousy among the other Lord Paramount's in attendance such as Grand Duke Lannister and Grand Duke Baratheon who found that despite being Lord Paramount's they were similarly titled to the Hightowers.

After the ceremony Archduke Garth was informed that the King was to take 10,000 men from the Reach up north into the Riverland’s where King Torrhen stark was marching his host to in order to confront Aegon. Luckily, and more importantly, for him though Archduke Garth finds that he would not have to fight to keep his men in the Reach for many of the other lords wished to gain their new Kings favor and had volunteered themselves freely, of course it helped that they knew that they would win any battle they fought due to the might of the three dragons.

And so the next sennight Archduke Garth watched as 10,000 men of the Reach proudly marched to victory under the command of the new Duke Tarly. A sight which on any other occasion would have made him proud, but apparently not this time, for this time they marched not under the banner of the Greenhand as they had for millennia but under that of the red three-headed dragon. Grand Duke Manfred Hightower also left that day but not before presenting three maesters to Garth, all of whom were said to be learned about Valyria, as well as over 10 tomes for his own reading.

According to Court Tales of Highgarden recorded from this time after seeing to their arrangement, Archduke Garth retreats to his solar with Warren, ever Dutiful, besides him. It is said that once they reach the solar Archduke Garth turns to Warren and asks him if he had heard what had happened to the old Earl Footly. “I am not sure my lord” is said to have been the reply “didn’t his sons join your fathers host?” Garth agreed and then told warren that the Earl had sent his sons, who were his only family on the campaign and when the Old man of Tumbleton hear of their death, he died in grief and shock. As such Tumbleton needed a new Earl and Garth had decided to give it to Warren and his family.

The shock of this proclamation is said to have caused Lord Warren to sit down, and for a moment Archduke is said to have worried that Warren would follow the pervious lord into an early grave due to shock. However Warren soon recovered and then in an almost incredulous manner began to argue against it leaving Archduke Garth confused. No doubt thinking that surely most people would want to be given a higher status? Afterall even today isn’t that what everyone desired? Upon further inquiry it emerged that Warren felt unworthy, a thought Garth quickly struck down as ridiculous, before supposedly declaring “Warren you have been my good shield for so long, who else would I trust to protect one of our most important lands?” to this warren had no answer and so that day House Goodshield of Tumbleton was founded.

And thus at least some good came from this miserable era for House Gardener for the Goodshield’s would live up to their name and serve the Gardeners loyally and faithfully.

Over the next few moons Highgarden began to function somewhat normally, or at least as well it could after the gaping hole caused by what people began to call the Field of fire, at least in open. In private they called it Mern’s folly. Unfortunately Archduke Garth had to face another loss when the now Earl Warren and family departed for Tumbleton. After all they had to establish their rule there. This departure of his most trusted servant caused Archduke Garth to become increasingly paranoid, especially for the safety of his sons.

How to ensure no other bitter widow of House Gardener would harm them? After all Margret the Warrior may have been the most brash in action but she was unlikely to be alone in her thoughts. The answer came to Garth 3 moons after Aegon departed. One day garth saw a merchant ship sailing on the Mander stop on the riverbank, it seemed that it had to repair itself due. It was then when he got the answer he had been searching for, Garth immediately summoned the master builder of Highgarden and the Master-at-Arms to discuss the plan forming in his head.

A sennight later he had the Ladies of Highgarden summoned to his throne room. There he announced that a new town was to be constructed two miles downstream from Highgarden and that they would be sent to live there for the rest of their lives. They could choose to now either spend the time it took to construct their new homes in tents near the site to supervise the construction, their families keeps or in the outer guest wing. Either option would suit Garth as it meant that no matter what where they could be safely isolated, for even if they chose not to leave Highgarden not only guards separated the outer guest wing, but it was also serviced by special servants who were kept separate from the rest.

After following the advice of his Maester, as well as the three new ones, he decided to expand what was initially just a clump of houses into a proper town, with paved streets, houses for the common folk, a river port, shops, sewers, wells, septs etc. As such the town of Highgarden was born, the first town next to the ancient keep since King Gyles II had decided to raze the previous one as he believed it was unsightly and felt that the Mander sept was enough.

Garth then decided, in a bid to ensure the love and loyalty of the smallfolk, to announce that each man who had been gravely injured, or any family who had lost a father or son would receive a free house along with a shop or an apprenticeship to gain a livelihood from. This town over time would grow, merging with the Mander Sept to become the City of Highgarden, rich and grand, though one on the smaller scale than Oldtown or Lannisport.

His announcements were met with anger from the Ladies of Highgarden who did not want to leave, though no one tried to defy him maybe remembering the death of Margret. Good for Archduke Garth for he didn’t wanted to see another one of his kin, even if they were kin only by marriage, die.

As the days began to pass Archduke Garth threw himself to work, overseeing the building of the town of Highgarden ,which as he expected, was welcomed warmly especially his decision to give houses and shops for free to the smallfolk. Garth also spent time with his sons ensuring they were receiving a proper education, in this matter the maesters were a gift from the seven. For while Garth could only spend an hour a day learning about the Valyrian’s from the maesters, they would spend the rest of the day ensuring his sons would be learned men rather than simply good warriors. Garth also went through the accounts and saw the running of the reach, in previous era’s it would be the responsibility of the current Lord Tyrell to do this, now though Garth did not trust anyone but himself.

As the moons passed word came that King Torrhen had surrendered and bent the knee, keeping his entire army intact, soon followed by news that the Arryns had did so as well, becoming Wardens of the North and East respectively and going from Kings to Grand Dukes . As Westeros wondered where the conqueror would land next, the answer came in the form of a raven from Seaguard, with Duke Mallister almost openly showing his disapproval of Aegon allowing the Ironborn to select their own Lord Paramount as he informed the seven kingdoms of the Targaryen conquest of the Iron Isles. Though knowing the hatred of the Ironborn the Rivermen had it was likely Duke Mallister would have rather had Aegon burn all of them to death, a sentiment Garth could support knowing what he did about the Ironborn. In the end though the Ironborn chose House Greyjoy, who became Lord Paramount of the Iron Islands and chose strangely to style themselves as Lord Reapers, ignoring "Greenlander" titles.

As time passed by, peace returned to the land. The birth of Prince Aenys, son and heir of King Aegon by Queen Rhaenys, had meant that there was a halt to the conquest as the dragons retreated to Dragonstone, leaving the construction of King's Landing to the Hand of the King, Grand Duke Baratheon. However the peace would not last and in the second month of the fourth year after Aegon’s conquest the King, his sister wives, and his court agreed to finally end the Wars of Conquest by bringing Dorne, which had remained independent, into the realm. As Warden of the South, Archduke Garth had been called to Aegonsfort, the Targaryen keep located by the growing town of Kings landing.

For the capital of six of the seven kingdoms of Westeros it wasn’t grand or impressive by any means, for at that time Kings Landing was a town of unpaved streets, shacks instead of proper homes and haphazard buildings. In fact one doubted if it was impressive as the capital of even one of the kingdoms. The wooden Aegonsfort was large though and could easily garrison an army which in all likelihood was its most important task as the actual seat and home of House Targaryen was Dragonstone.

After being served bread and salt Archduke Garth was led to his chambers, crude and bare ones but they would suffice. After washing up and eating in his rooms he began to explore the Aegonsfort. The Royal Family was currently at Dragonstone along with most of the court. The other Lords had also arrived from throughout Westeros but as most of them have had a much longer journey, they had taken to rest in their chambers.As such Garth walked mostly alone and it was by pure happenstance that he came by the Great hall, its doors open and at its center was the Iron Throne, The throne Aegon Targaryen had built using the swords of the conquered armies of Westeros.

While Garth had heard about the throne looking at it with his own eye’s was an experience of its own, it was tall, with no particular pattern, a mismatch of swords all forged together with dragonfyre. If its job was to intimidate then it did its work admirably for it was difficult to look upon the throne without feeling the power it represented. It is said that Archduke Garths thoughts and eyes then ,despite his wishes, began wandering about the throne, trying to see if it could identify which swords belong to the men of the reach. However before his thoughts could be engulfed in sadness and painful memories he left the throne room and made towards his quarters taking satisfaction in the fact that though many swords were in that throne one rather important one was not.

Steelthorn, the ancestral Valyrian steel blade of House Gardener. It should have been considered lost on the field of fire after King Mern wielded it in the battle, however Archduke Garth had been unwilling to let such an important artefact of his family be left lost to time and the moment the Conqueror had left Highgarden he had sent 1000 men to the battleground, Luckily despite the prospect of treasure the large clumps of steel at the vanguard had been safe from scavengers who had pillaged the easier to find and use discards at the back, having no interest in the ashes or steel which had been too misshapen to be worth the effort . After a few moons of searching and digging the men found had been able to build a furnace and one by one melt each clump of steel in the area where the King would have been. Finding Steelthorn in what was a melted pile of iron, most likely from the shields, plates and swords of the Knights of the Order of the Green Hand. While for any other sword, being dipped in a pile of melted metal would have destroyed it, as it had for every other piece, but not Valyrian steel, which holds both its shape and edge no matter what.

The men returned the sword to Highgarden returning it to the possession of House Gardener.

The next morning after breaking his fast Archduke Garth was escorted to the building which held the war room. The war room itself was large, holding many maps and books, however what should have been of interest to all were the people. In the hall were the Nobles from all the major houses south of the neck and north of the Dornish marches. Such an assortment of lords would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, before the conquest. Then again, that was a different age now, for the coming of dragons had altered Westeros forever. On the main table a large map of Dorne was laid out, showing the main mountain passes, the keeps and strongholds, the towns and cities.

King Aegon wanted to simply march into Dorne with his dragons, not realizing his folly. Though that was to be expected, after all his family, unlike the Reach and Stormland nobility had not learnt not to underestimate the Dornish. And those Nobles had only learnt said lesson after eons of painful and bloody wars. However, the Marcher Nobles contemplated, their families did not have dragons and while the Dornish could make up for their lack of numbers by refusing to fight directly, using their bandit tactics and their sandy dry climate to defeat stronger foes such as the reach , three dragons may be too much for them.

After all what good is a desert to hide in if dragons simply set it on fire?

As Grand Duke Baratheon made another foolish boast about bring the Dornish under his heal, the King fixed his concentration on Garth, soon the room fell silent and the king asked “What is your suggestion Archduke Gardener?” he asked in Oldtown Andal which he had deemed to be the official language of the court despite the fact that the first language of House Targaryen was High Valyrian and would be for the first few generations of Dragon Kings. At the question Garth fell into deep thought. The Dornish will never surrender he knew, and nor would they need to. Valyria had dragons yes but it also had its own armies. The history of Valyria had shown that dragons alone don’t make empire’s and that dragons cannot hold a keep or town, cannot govern or collect taxes.

Valyria needed armies and this Valyrian was no different. As such if the Targaryens tried to take Dorne the way did with the other kingdoms they would fail. On the other hand could the Dornish and their snake like attacks do what his family could not? Could the deserts be the grave of the dragons? It seems almost fated, the last of Valyria fighting the last of the Rhoynar in Westeros after both people’s homes in Essos were destroyed by flame. It is not known if the Archduke had been sincere in the war effort of this was a scheme to divide and weaken the Targaryens but in answer the Archduke turned to the King and said “An attack at 5 fronts your grace”

As whispers filled the room King Aegon asked with some shock “5 fronts?”

“yes Your Grace, 5 fronts” Pointing to the map, Garth continued “If we are to win then it is best to ensure the dornish do not meet up, they are very mobile and would not hesitate in abandoning castles in order for us to be drawn deeper into the desert. I would suggest the Hand attacks from the south using the Velaryon fleet, taking Hellholt, the Hightowers and Tarly hosts can then take the torentine Valley and the Houses Danye and fowler. Queen Visenya can take Yronwood using the Hightower fleet while Queen Rhaenys can lead an army down the princess pass. His Grace can take Sunspear using the Redwyne Fleet.” Finishing he turned to see the reaction to his plan. Aegon and most of the lords looked deep in thought.

Queen Visenya on the other hand asked him “And no glory for you Archduke Gardener?” suspicious of his intent, to which Garth replied “No, Your Grace, I am not as useful in the battlefield as I am in administering the Reach ”

After much discussion on its merits King Aegon adopted Archduke Garths plan. But soon disagreements began, Garth wanted to keeps the men directly under House Gardener in the Reach declaring they were necessary to stave off any raids on the Reach and that such raids were guaranteed to happen. When the Hand declared that they would not have enough men garth pointed to the Grand Dukes Loren and Edmure of the Westerlands and Riverland's respectively and declared “If Westeros is to be one equal and united realm all of it must bear the costs of war or are we not one realm?” to which the Hand grudgingly consented. After this the Hand ordered Garth to give control of the Reach armies to Grand Duke Manfred Hightower, which he did without regret. Archduke Garth was then allowed to return to Highgarden where he began to plot and scheme. And so on the sixth month of the fourth year of Aegon’s Conquest the Iron throne invaded Dorne

The Conquest of Dorne, Aegons Lament, The Last War of Conquest, The War of Unification, The Defiance of Dorne, The Stand of House Martell, so many names, so many songs and stories make the The Invasion of Dorne one of the most storied parts of the wars of conquest. For Dorne was the only Kingdom which truly tried to fight off the Targayens and while this defiance won them the admiration of all, even that it is said of Aegon the Conqueror the consequences of which also showed the rest of the Kingdoms that bending the knee quickly was the right choice.

It started out as every other one, An easy victory for House Targaryen, but victory of a peculiar kind. The Dornish did not fight the dragons or the armies of house Targaryen, but neither did they surrender exactly, the Nobility and their closest servants simply disappeared, along with their harvest, their food reserves and their valuable items. Keep after keep was found with greybeards and crones to guard and run them. The people of the villages instead of being pressed into hosts were still tending to their farms. They also gave up the noble seats and their settlements to the Dragons after the armies of the Iron Throne promised them mercy. Within a month the 5 armies had taken Dorne, but as soon as the dragons left, the trap was sprung. Raids and skirmishes affected most of Dorne, people were poisoned in their sleep and in their meals uncaring of guest rights and the dornish continued the fight even when the dragons came back.

This was not to say it was easy for the Dornish, the soldiers of the Iron Throne fought bravely and attacked fearlessly. However soon the Casualties on both sides began to grow. However the Dornish did not relent, using every bit of skill and cunning, utilizing the children as messengers, the elderly as stewards and both men and women as warriors. Aegon for his part demanded his lords send him two new soldiers for each one the Iron Throne Lost. When after a moon the troops had failed to turn the tide as the Nobles were still not to be found Aegon grew impatient and h e had Lord Greyjoy bring in the fleets and armies of the iron island and had them break the Planky town and occupy it.

A mistake, for while the Kraken did the first with ease, the second task was not so easy. For while the Ironborn were fierce, they were not spared from the sun and more importantly not used to actually face resistance. The Ironborn were raiders and pirates, used to using swift attacks and their reputation in order to shock their victims and take what they could before fleeing. The Dornish however did not flee, each man and women fought back causing the Krakens to lose many men at the start. In the first day of the battle, In the narrow paths and waterways of the Planky town, the sun cut up the Krakens and fed them to the fishes.

At this an enraged Aegon and his sister-wives began burning the keeps, towns and lands that the Dornish were able to take back. Meanwhile the Forces lead by the Hand along with Grand Duke Tully, Lannister and Hightower sacked Yronwood Town and Sunspear. After a long year of fighting, during which some had advocated efforts to starve the Dornish into submission but had failed to persuade the King who would not rule over only corpses and ashes , the Targaryens had once again secured and occupied all the major towns and keeps.

Though this was a hollow victory for the Iron Throne’s forces had lost about over 20,000 men. Dorne had also suffered losing approximately 35,000 people not counting those who died in the Dornish raids across the marches. These raids were always devastating though on which side was the question. The ones on the Reach were mostly repelled, but the Great Raid on the Rainwood devastated the Stormlands as more than half the Rainwood along with dozens of villages were burnt down. Also uncounted among the dead were the many Dornish people who died in their homes and streets rather than on the battlefield. These innocents easily numbered in the thousands with some saying in the tens of thousands.

Greater still was the loss of the plantations and famed orchards of Dorne burned by soldiers and dragons alike, making much of the land conquered worthless until they were fixed once again. Despite the carnage and heavy losses though peace was a distant prospect as both sides committed countless atrocities requiring vengeance to be extracted and making the fighting both longer and bitterer. During this time many high lords died including the young Duke Tarly, Margrave Danye and his wife, Earl Celtigar’s Heir. However the most memorable deaths were still to come.

On the eighth month of the fifth year of Aegon’s Conquest, the Yellow Toad, Princess Meria Martell, was killed by the Hand, Orys Baratheon in a raid lead by the man on a village outside Godsgrace. In a show of skill, unseen before and since the old, fat and blind old woman was able to shop Lord Orys’ left hand off before dying on the man’s blade. And so Meria Died by the words of her house Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken. The death of Meria led to some in the Targaryen court to hope that the war would soon wind to an end, but if anything seemed to inflame it further, in the months after the death of Meria, the dornish under the leadership of Nymor, Meria eldest child and heir, led over 50 major raids, setting 2 keeps on fire while the garrisons were still inside and used four captured velaryon ships as fire galleys, ramming them into the ports of Oldtown killing thousands. The Targaryens retaliated with more fire from their dragons, finding and burning 2 armies.

As the war continued, by now some 2 years into the fighting, and having lasted longer than the rest of the conquest combined the lords under house Targaryen are starting to lose hope, in private away from the Targaryens themselves of course, for while they controlled the keeps they were unable to protect the caravans that supplied them, resulting in hunger, nor were their soldiers safe in the towns they held and each day they were attacked and cut down in the streets in broad daylight.

The situation was becoming hopeless and many now believed that the war could simply not become even worse. Of course the gods then decided it was time to intervene, unleashing the Dragons Wroth.

And so it was at the Tor ,the seat of House Jordayne, where hungry soldiers had given up the seat to the Dornish in return for food the gods struck. Queen Rhaenys had arrived at the Tor that day with a host in order to take back the keep. However before she could burn the entirety of the castle, a person whose identity is lost to time shot an arrow from the highest tower, Despite all odds this lone arrow struck the Queen right in her throat, killing her instantly the Queen fell from her Dragon which went on a rampage, burning the keep, and then the nearby town and villages before retreating to Dragonstone where it found the Crown Prince Aenys who is said to have cried for days when he saw Meraxes return without his mother, knowing what it meant.

The Death of Queen Rhaenys completely changed the war for it begins the Dragons Wroth, whereas previously the Targaryens had not wanted to rule over just corpses and ashes now that was their burning desire. For a year King Aegon and Queen Visenya reigned fire down on all men, women and children they could find, The Planky town and Shadow town of Sunspear was burned, those who made it out were slaughtered, the Host was split into two and marched up the Greensblood. Where as earlier mercy was promised now each man woman and child found was slaughtered. Keeps were burned, surrenders rejected. Canals were shattered and gain stores were burned. Even the Targaryens own soldiers were not spared at times. Dorne burned in this period, every town, every keep, every field was set alight by the dragon riders who in their grief would not listen to a single plea of mercy or reason which soon ended for those who advocated for mercy and reason found themselves fulfilling the role of Dragon food.

By now most in the seven kingdoms were now debating if there was going to be a Dorne left for the dragons to conquer or if it would enter the history books spoken of as a mythical place lost to time.

By now even the most zealous supporter of the Targaryen cause was finding it difficult to support the war in light of the endless death. One can see this in the example of the Hand, Grand Duke Baratheon, who for 2 sennights was King Aegon's prisoner. He had found himself in this predicament because he had protested King Aegon's decision at the Tor, where Queen Rhaenys had died. The king had nearest 15 villages population brought to him, and it was here that the King had declared that for each boy or girl who could walk unaided but had remained a maiden or greenboy before the end of three days, 3 soldier would die by fire, and that for it to count the parents had to see it happen.

The Rape of Tor as its know was infamous for its brutality even in a brutal war for the soldiers did not simply rape, they flayed, scalped, burned, whipped ,beheaded, boiled and buried alive. Women were forced to eat their own children, others were suffocated with their own entrails. 100 babies were thrown in a pit which Balerion the black dread burned with the screams of the babies echoing for 100 leagues, this and so much more. There at the Tor the forces of the Conqueror committed all sort of foul savagery on the people. In latter years thousands of those troops would end up killing themselves for the memories of the savagery was too much for them to live with. 3 duke, 2 earls, 5 margraves and marquesses, 26 knights and countless other would also give up their offices and would either take the black, or become Septon in order to atone for their sins in the coming years.

On the third month of the 7th year of Aegon’s Conquest Dorne was dying, by maester's estimated 1/3 to 1/2 of the people were dead. The Dornish Crown Princess Deria, eldest child of prince Nymor was able to send a message to King Aegon through a released knight who had been kidnapped, asking him to meet her at the south bank of the mouth of the river Greenblood in order to discuss peace.

When Aegon arrived with his sister-wife Visenya, and his high lords Princess Deria was there, alone, standing under her own personal banner.

As the Targaryens dismounted and came closer Princess Deria is said to have declared that she wanted an end to this war. When Aegon agreed with her desire, sharing his own wish for peace, Princess Deria replied simply “To Peace” . As quick as a viper, Princess Deria lunged at Aegon, long daggers suddenly in both her hands, Luckily for the King Queen Visenya used Dark sister to fend Deria off as the rest of his nobles drew their swords. In the meantime king Aegon drew Blackfyre to defend himself as well. While both Targaryens and the nobles were skilled warriors but none were fast enough for Deria was like a madwoman, for where others would lunge away she lunged towards, ignoring the cuts and stabs as she desperately tried to kill Aegon even if it took her own life to do so. As Deria lunged one last time, cut up and bleeding, Balerion the Black dread used his mighty claws to swat Deria away, throwing her into the beach where she was burned alive by Vhagars flames. The incident now known as Deria’s last stand is currently marked by a statue of her on the mouth of the river Greenblood where it occurred.

This incident along with its political implications in further increasing tensions also lead to the formation of the Kings Guard. For King Aegon and Queen Visenya felt that they could no longer be assured of their safety. When word of the death of Princess Deria reached Prince Nymor, it is said to have shattered a once strong man. Prince Nymor now could no longer stand the death and destruction of his people any longer not that he had much of a choice with the dornish forces almost out of food, their people broken from years of fighting and their lands a smoking ruin, peace was the only solution they had if they truly did not want to become extinct. But peace was not so easy to advocate, many Dornish simply could not contemplate bending the knee and swearing other to a man who had brought so much misery to their people.

The Yronwoods broke first, duch*ess Arianne was slain by her younger brother the Kinslayer Armin, who also slew her husband, her paramour, all her children as well her greatest supporter, Armin's younger sister as well as a 100 others who supported his sister. Arranging their heads on spikes, and walking under the banners of House Yronwood and of Surrender now Duke Armin walked to the nearest Targaryen Host, which as he knew had Queen Visenya among their number. There he threw the skulls of his kin, the banner of his house, his swords and his families jewels at her feet. Kneeling and with his head touching the ground Duke Yronwood beseeched Queen Visenya that if she would have a Kinslayer under King Aegon's peace to let him speak his vows of fealty and if she would not to take his head and give his younger brother the option. The Queen is said to have remarked "better a Kinslayer than a fool" and accepted his oath

This began a cascade, not of surrender but of civil war for soon the Dornish turned on one another over whether to surrender. Knowing his authority was almost over a moon after the Yronwoods surrender Nymor sent his youngest son to Aegon's camp as an ambassador on Nymor’s behalf to negotiate a peace. At first many in Aegon’s court were skeptical and demanded Dorne’s total surrender immediately however this demand was rejected. Nymor Martell may have been shattered but he was not weak and would not simply let his peoples sacrifice be sullied by an unconditional surrender.

In the end after two sennights of negotiation a treaty was drafted and approved. The Accord of the Sun and the Dragon as it is now known, the treaty ended the Dornish war and brought Dorne into the realm in return for some concessions by the Iron throne. King Aegon is said to have remarked "It gets tiring, this slaughtering of the Dornish" when asked why he did not simply fight for a few more months and receive a complete surrender. Many also remark that the regret of some of his actions such as the Rape at the Tor and the respect for Dorne's defiance and strength also made him negotiate wanting to give them an honorable surrender. Among the terms of treaty are the following points-

• Dornish royalty were allowed to keep their styling's as prince’s/princesses’ however as non-royal princes they were ranked lower on the order of precedence similar Archdukes and Grand Dukes,
• The Dornish were assured that there would be no retaliation against any Dornishman for their actions during and before the war,
• Dorne’s own laws and customs would be maintained with no interference from the Iron Throne,
• Princess Meria, second daughter and now heir of prince Nymor would marry Duke Dondarrions second son, in order to bind House Martell to Iron throne by marriage ensuring a lasting peace
• Other Dornish lords would also marry Stormlander and Reach nobility
• House Martell would also surrender children for fosterages and as squires

And so in the end it was nearly three years after the invasion began, after the death of slightly over half the dornish population, destruction of all its major settlements, the death of tens of thousands of soldiers and innocent bystanders, the destruction of two major ports, and with many high lords, one queen and two princesses meeting an early grave did Nymor Martell finally bent the knee before Aegon who declared him Prince of Dorne.

And so ended Aegon’s Wars of Conquest and the Unification of Westeros.

Chapter 7: Reign of Archduke Garth

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The end of the Wars of Unification lead Westeros into a phase unknown in its history, an era of peace. From the Lands beyond the Wall to the summer sea Westeros was peaceful, the squabble of lords had moved from the battlefield to the courts of the king and the Lord paramount’s. Merchants who earlier would spend large coin to keep track and protect themselves of the various battles and conflicts now devoted their entire time to trade and only trade. Bandits were now hunted down by lords who enforced the kings peace with a new zeal unseen before.

All this brought great prosperity to Westeros as a whole and of course to the Reach, and it was this prosperity that Lord Garth decide to use to rebuild the strength and influence of House Gardener. While the rest of Westeros turned their attention to the war in Dorne, Garth who was called the Maester prince consumed every book on Valyria and the history of the seven kingdoms he could. Going so far as to learn High Valyrian in earnest in order to learn more.

Garth realized that House Gardener had found itself in the same position as House Hightower had all those years ago, under the protection of a more powerful liege. As such the power of House Gardener depended not on swords but coin. An experience also proven by the free cities whose influence and power was built during the age of Valyria on the prosperity they generated from their markets.

While part of the work had already been seen to in the establishment of the town of Highgarden a lot more could be done and so during the Dornish war while the lord of Westeros practiced with their weapons garth spent his days going through accounts and maps planning.

By the time the War ended he was prepared and as such in 10 AC Lord Garth began his great works. He expanded the town of Highgarden building more riverports and building warehouses and markets. Large canals and sewers were built to flush out any waste and bring fresh water to the town. Garth also appointed ordered the roads be paved with cobblestone. Plans were also made to build a permanent arena out of stone similar to those in Valyria for tournaments, with seats, and the nearby grounds developed with shops, workshops and changing rooms as well as stables. Of course unlike in Valyria or its daughter there would be no slaves slaughtering one another.

Garth also planned for the repair and in some cases construction of the Reach roads. To his shame the Reach's roads were simply not being maintained. They were supposed to connect Highgarden to all the corners of the reach. Oldtown, Horn Hill, Ashford, tumbleton, Old Oak, the Red Lake etc. but in many areas were simply not maintained. While Garth would have preferred to build them of stone and brick he simply did not have the gold for such an undertaking. And so repairs were prioritized, filling holes, creating drains, building inns and where needed cutting new roads next to old unusable paths. All this helped reduce the time needed for most journeys. Garth also ordered the construction of the garden road which connected Old Oak to Oldtown and Bandalion the long way, creating a border road for the reach.

To ensure these roads would never be so neglected garth created a First Steward of Roads to oversee it and took over responsibility for the main roads. While expensive House Gardener ,which had cut cost massively by reducing the size of its court what with the death of so many, and by the rising revenue borne from the realms prosperity, could pay for them. More importantly garth knew that by once again placing Highgarden at the center of all these roads most of the merchants would pass through it, which in time would help boost the overland commerce of the town of Highgarden as the it would not need to depend on only river trade like the town of Mander Sept had to. In time the Highgarden would be not just the second most important center for trade in the reach after Oldtown, a title also held by the Mander sept, but also a true city, one acknowledged by the Royal court itself.

However these were not the only works garth has built, he also has a keep, named later as Northgarden built on the banks of the Blackwater rush on the border with the Riverland's. This gave House Gardener a chance to turn the mostly empty lands, previously a region of almost continuous conflict, into a major prize for the grain grown there could easily be shipped by barge to the new city of Kings Landing. It helped of course that Lord Osgrey and other northern marcher nobility could not simply switch their allegiance to another king if Highgarden build such a bastion so close to their seats.

Garth also begins to establish marriage alliances between the reach and the major lords of the other kingdoms. Houses Danye, Crakehall, Royce, Mallister, Swann and others would soon receive offers of marriage from the families of the reach. Not all would be maidens of House Gardener but most would, after all they had a rather excess of daughters. This ensuring that the reach of the Reach was present everywhere, barring some exceptions of course, for no one would marry into the Ironborn and it seemed the northerners had decided to go into a period of isolation apparently a cow had brought a message from the old gods to the starks. Clearly the king who knelt had gone mad in grief along with all his bannermen

And so Garth spent his days working to improve his House’s power and ensure its influence. He died 26 years later in 36 AC, three years before the death of Aegon the conqueror. While he had come to power when House Gardener was at its weakest since Garth Greybeard, Garth the wise as he was called after his death proved to be an able leader preserving the Gardener line and leaving it in the capable hands of his son Willas.

Garth ensured that House Gardener never forgot the loss it faced by House Targaryen’s hands and made sure his heir’s would maintain his ambitions and goals to see House Gardener rise to greater heights.

But while Garth was mourned by the reach and was keenly missed, he was but one piece in the game of throne which stops for no man, no matter how powerful. And so while Garth died his son Willas took up his father’s mantle vowing the same vow that every lord and king makes, to win, for there are only two outcomes in this game we all play, to win or to die

Chapter 8: Reign of Aegon I

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While the rule of Archduke Garth important for the Reach no man influenced the seven kingdoms more than Aegon the conqueror. In fact one could argue and many maesters eagerly do that his conquest while the foundation of his legacy was merely the first of the many unifications he brought to the westerosi with each having just a big on an impact as the forging of the Iron Throne had.

As mentioned after the wars on conquest Aegon began his many other achievements and unifications. To enact these he leaned heavily on the Maesters of the citadel for in these days there were no other entities which truly spanned Westeros.

In 8 AC a year after the conquest Aegon declared the Stormlands measures of weights and distances to be the new Royal Standard, and wile it would take a century and more for the common people to truly use the new units it was the first time a single set of measurements were used across Westeros setting the stage for the common kilo, tonne, yard and foot we know today

The Year after that King Aegon introduced the first coins, with Gold dragons, silver stags, copper stars and pennies and groats. This would in time create a truly single market eliminative 100s of other coins which were in use before the conquest

In 10 AC King Aegon began his two greatest unification and these unlike the previous ones would take him 2 decades to enact. For before the conquest was over Aegon had been welcomed by the High Septon of Oldtown but unlike today the High Septon was not the head of the Westerosi faith, indeed one could argue before the conquest there was no single Faith of the Seven there were 100 of First septons each of which claimed to be the one true arbiter of the faith. There are also many translations of the seven pointed star, disagreement on the text of the original version, disputes on the liturgy, on the saints and their blessing the dates of the festivals and even if a month of the calendar should be dedicated to the stranger.

Other disagreements were on the relationship between the faith of the seven and the old gods, on what rights their followers had, on heresy and what as merely sinful, on the boundaries of authority of the various First Septon, who had the right to be a First Septon and on and on and on.

As such to resolve it all Aegon called for a council in Kings landing and on the location of the current Sept of Amity held the Great Council of Unity. There Aegon made the High Septon of Oldtown who at this point was not even the premier leader of the faith in the Reach (the First Septon of the Mander Sept being a traditional opponent) as the coordinator of the council but crucially did not decree him any further authority. After 3 years and more than a few threats of burning them all with Balerion the Black dread a total off 86 First Septons were acknowledged including to the disgust of most one in White harbour. Most of those assembled considered the Fist Septon of the Snowy Sept to be an outright heretic but Aegon who it is said was more concerned with the politics decreed it and none of the men or women there were brave enough to argue. As part of this the boundaries of authority for each Septon were clarified with Aegon mostly uncaring of the ancient dispute, local balance of power and traditional compromises, he wanted clear boundaries and would get them.

Aegon decreed (through the council) that along with a First Septon of various smaller regions there would be seven Cardinals. These Cardinals would oversee the First Septons in their regions. The North was decreed to be outside the purview of all cardinals for political purposes but the rest of Westeros fell under them. These were-

The Cardinal of the Riverland (Also overseeing the Iron Islands) which became intertwined with the office of the First Septon of the Stony Sept,

The Cardinal of the Vale of Arryn (Also overseeing the Three Sisters) which became intertwined with the office of the First Septon of the Gulltown,

The Cardinal of the Stormlands (Also overseeing Kings Landing and the Crownlands until the reign of Baelor the Blessed) which became intertwined with the office of the First Septon of the Stormy Sept,

The Cardinal of the Westerlands which became intertwined with the office of the First Septon of Lannisport,

The Cardinal of Dorne (In the Future it would also oversee the Stepstones) which became intertwined with the office of the First Septon of the Yronwood Town despite the best efforts of House Martell.

The Cardinal of the Upper Reach which became intertwined with the office of the First Septon of the Mander Sept and

The Cardinal of the Southern Reach which became intertwined with the office of the First Septon of the Starry Sept and for a century and a half was also held by the High Septon.

As part of the decree each cardinal was also given a set number of votes (which despite being set seemed to change quite a bit for reasons unclear to those not in the know of the highest level of Faith Politics) and it was these votes which would elect the High Septon who would be the leader of the faith and First among equal of the Cardinals.

In doing so Aegon created the first truly united framework for the faith of the seven. However he was not done, under Aegon a common version of the Seven pointed star would be written in Ancient Andal putting centuries of conflict over esoteric differences in text to an end. Further Basis this he would create an official version of the Seven pointed star in Oldtown Andal, known as King Aegon's Seven Pointed star it would become the definitive version of the Seven pointed star, used the Faith even till this day.

After the creation of King Aegon's Seven Pointed Star the last great work of the council of king landing would be the creation of the common book of prayer which would become so entrenched in the faith of the seven that even half of the septons believe that it was written in the time of Hugor of the hills. The location of the houses built to accomdate the representatives is now know as the Gods road, with dozens of septs, Abbeys, monastery's, shrines, Friary's, Septonary and Septa Houses it was and is a center of the Faith of the seven, more than any one sept for its still to this day has representatives of the faith from all over Westeros. And this is seen in the sept of Amity itself where there are to this day not a singal statue of the gods, they are neither at one end as an alter nor spread out across the hall in all seven directions where the faithful ceremonially change directions to pray to a new aspect of the seven who are one. Rather it is a place where the faithful come, sit of the seven edges and look at one another and acknowledge each others piety, similar in a sense to the councils of Kings Landing.

During the writing of these book king Aegon was not inactive despite not attending most of the sessions held each year (there was no continuous council as after a moon or two the representatives needed to return in order to explain the discussions and gain further insights from those not present). He would create the common royal calendar, fixing the names of the month, King Aegon would also go on royal progresses and oversee the running of the realm.

King Aegon would also create the many offices of the realm, including the small council which would form the basis of governance in Westeros

King Aegon would die of old age in 39 AC, his legacy would not just be in uniting Westeros but uniting the people and faith as well, being truly of if not the most greatest of the Targaryen Kings. He would be succeeded by His son King Aenys.

Chapter 9: The Rebellion and the Golden Reign

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Archduke Garths son Archduke Willas learned his father’s lessons and continued with his work, knowing that House Gardner must grow stronger. Willas like his father isolated himself from the intrigues of the Royal Court as much as he could, preferring to focus on improving the reach and the Gardners own lands. He married Gena Osgrey, the eldest Daughter of Lord Osgrey, the Marshall of the North Marches, at a young age and had a son, Gyles, by her. Their marriage is said to be a loving one. Willas maintained the Kings Peace and in its interest swore loyalty to Aenys Targaryen upon Aegon's death. However unlike his father Willas did not enjoy peace for long, instead he had to deal with the rebellion by the faith militant against Targaryen rule.

The faith could no longer tolerate the sacrilegious habits of the Targaryens, at least now that Aegon the Conqueror was dead. For not even a year after the death of Aegon the Conqueror King Aenys had married his son to his daughter. While it is true the King himself was a product of such a union the faith had forgiven Aegon's marriage to his sisters and to be fair to them when Aegon betrothed his heir to his cousin it was possible to believe that House Targaryen would leave behind the practice of incest the same way it had left behind the practice of slavery.

But of course we know this was not true and as such within just a few years of Aenys accession to the throne more than half the realm was in rebellion against the crown. Many of the more pious lords had also demanded that the Reach, the heartland of the faith, rebel however Archduke Willas refused to do so. Not out of any love for the Targaryens or incest, but because Willas knew that armies cannot defeat dragons. He continued to resist his vassals efforts to join the rebellion, even when King Aenys died, a wise move for soon Aenys brother Maegor took the throne and began burning all who opposed him.

Knowing that opposing Maegor would mean death, Willas ordered all his vassals to immediately stop supporting the rebels and try to prevent any criticism of the Targaryens. Despite these commands as well as constant efforts to prevent violence and maintain order in the reach, the rebellion still spread and parts the reach were soon also attacked and burnt by Maegor. The most infamous of these was the Battle of the Stonebridge where the Poor Fellows, who were nine thousand strong, and led by Wat the Hewer were caught between six lordly armies at Stonebridge. The sheer brutality of the battle made the Mander run red with blood for twenty leagues, resulting in the bridge and castle that commanded it forever after being known as Bitterbridge.Of course this was hardly the last battle in the reach but along with the siege of Oldtown in 44AC was the most memorable.

Maegor at this time was known as Maegor the Devil but history remembers him by the epithet the cruel. The reason he got this was due to his noble title decree. Annoyed at the nobility which he held in contempt as lesser beings compared to his own Valyrian ancestry Maegor stripped all the titles of the nobility and replaced them with a simple Lord, similar to the Valyrian Empire where all the Dragon rider families held the same title . No more Dukes, Marquesses, Margrave, Earls, Jarls etc. Now there were Kings, Princes of the royal blood, Princes of Dorne ( the one exception put in place on behest of his only friend Omar the Bloody Martell) Lords, Sers or Masters and Peasants. This action turned many of his reluctant supporters against him, making one wonder how much they truly valued their faith or their people if this was what turned them against Maegor.

Despite the ferociousness and brutality of Maegor the tide soon turned against him. Omar Martell and his mother would both die leaving him friendless, and as the rebellion dragged out longer and atrocities became commonplace more and more people began calling for peace. And all these people correctly realised that Maegor, who now demanded the death of the faith itself, was the greatest obstacle to that peace.

Lord Willas was unable to live to see the end of Maegor’s reign for he soon died of a summer fever in 47 AC. He was succeeded by his son Lord Gyles who came to rule at the tender age of 13. Despite this Gyles proved to be a capable ruler. While not being the most learned of lords Gyles had a gift of cunning. This cunning made him the first lord after now Lord Baratheon to support the now King Jaehaerys I, when the third son of Aenys I raised his banners to reclaim the Iron throne. He did so despite the advice of his advisors, knowing that Maegor’s reign was at a close and that the tide was turning. His gamble paid off when Maegor died soon after and when Jaehaerys took the throne House Gardeners influence increased. It of course helped that they had married into quite a few houses and as such brought more than simply the reach to Jaehaerys side.

House Gardener prospered greatly in Jaehaerys reign, using the long peace to establish deep trading relations with the rest of the realm. Gyles also improved House Gardeners standing by marrying Alyssa Hightower, strengthening their bonds with their most powerful and richest bannermen. During his reign Gyles also oversaw the expansion of the town of Highgarden, building the Great Works for which he is most well know. These are the Great Gardner Sept which would take 8 decades to complete,the Statue of the three Kings, also known as Three kings, which is a collection of three 200 foot statues in the form of a triangle facing outwards, commemorating Garth the Gardner, Garth Greenhand and Garth Goldenhand.

However the most consequential of Gyles decisions was the opening of the Bank of Highgarden. This bank unlike the Iron bank or other banks of the free cities did not accept deposits, rather it was owned and funded completely by House Gardner who used it to give out loans to merchants and traders. While the bank started small, it soon grew. By 80 AC the bank funded itself and no longer required the Gardners to deposit more money in it. Over time the bank would become the most important moneylender after House Lannister in the seven kingdoms. House Gardener during this time also became stronger, marrying its daughters into good families, establishing new cadet lines to ensure they would not lack male heirs and also to ensure trusted men would be able to fulfil important roles and offices.

However Lord Gyles was not the only one active in building institutions. Under the reign of the King Jaehaerys the realm prospered, the markets overflowed, the harvests were bountiful and the peace was maintained. The King also built the lands of Targaryens greatly, Starting work on the Great Sept of Kings Landing or King Jaehaerys Sept which would be completed under his successor Viserys the First, it would become the Largest Sept in the Kingdom before being overtaken by The Great Sept of Baelor. The King also created a single tax code and a single code of law which would become his greatest legacy. The Old wise king also built the City of Kings Landing, paving its roads, expanding its walls, building sewers and other such works.

But more importantly under Jaehaerys the realm truly became one, whether it was due to the trade, the common laws, or other factors but now Westeros truly became one realm rather than multiple realms under one king. As the long peace continued however not all years brought happiness for the Targaryens, for the issue of succession became an important, especially after the death of the crown prince.

The sea snake, Lord Corlys Velaryon of Driftmark began using the wealth we acquired in his travels to the far east to convince many lords to accept the claims of his wife, Princess Rhaenys Daughter of the deceased crown prince Aemon, to the throne. However there were more claimants to the throne including Prince Baelon Targaryen, Princess Rhaenys Uncle and his son Viserys. Like the rest of the realm House Gardner kept a keen interest in the issue of Targaryen succession and Lord Gyles attended the great council of 101AC, and spoke on the behalf of the most obvious candidate Prince Viserys.

In 104 AC upon the death of King Jaehaerys, the Reach along with the rest of the realm mourned. But amongst the weeping, the whispers of power continued as the nobility fought for standing and influence in the new kings court. House Gardner's expectation for more power as payment for its support of Prince Viserys were however soon dashed. And the start of the reign of King Viserys in fact marked the decline of the influence of House Gardners as their vassals House Hightower soon became the second most powerful house in Westeros.

A Hightower served as the Lord Hand and after the death of queen Emma Arryn, Alicent Hightower became the queen. The long peace had also swelled House Hightowers coffers. Also the generations of peace had all but killed off the influence of the Houses that normally derived their strength from their swords such as House Tarly. They were not only less influential but now unable to properly navigate the court and politics of this era. This further concentrated power amongst the Hightowers who kept a tight grip on the Merchant Houses. This power only grew over the years as Queen Alicent produced male heirs, and the realm was assured that a king with Hightower blood would soon sit upon the throne.

However it was not to be, and the peace which had appeared so solid found that its foundations began to crack for King Viserys, ever a sentimental fool, had decided to name his daughter Heir, contradicting the ruling of the Great Council of 101AC which had brought him to power in the first place. His stance also greatly divided the realm, and in 111 AC at the tourney of Kings Landing the realm was finally split into two factions the Blacks supporting Princess Rhaenyra and the greens supporting Queen Alicent.

Upon hearing the news of this division Lord Gyles began preparing. For he knew that the Peace of Jaehaerys would not last and that a war for the throne was on the horizon.

Chapter 10: The Dance of the Dragons

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Men(and women) are forgetful creatures, they forget their past decisions, the bounty of peace and the misery of war once many a year passes. It was this forgetfulness which allowed the realm to split into two in the latter years of King Viserys reign. Green men and women who had known only peace and plenty were more than willing to throw it all away in order to see their own factions dragon crowned. Not realizing the value of stability and order.

But Lord Gyles Gardener did, he was over 70 years, an exceptionally long lived man who knew just how important maintaining order was, was one of the few lords who could knew just how devastating dragons could be, for he remembered the carnage caused by Maegor the Cruel during the Faith rebellion. It was with this in mind that Lord Gyles began drafting plans after the Tourney at Kings Landing in 111AC. He knew from the reports he received that the two factions which had emerged, the greens and the blacks, would one day, one day soon come to war. For neither Princess Rhaenyra and Queen Alicent would back down and each would also have many warmongering counsellors, chief amongst them The Sea snake Corlys Velaryon whose son was to marry Rhaenyra and the Hand of the King Otto Hightower.

Gyles however had to be very careful, for he knew many of his bannermen, not just the Hightowers, would fight even if he ordered them not to do so. As such Garth knew he had to ensure enough of his principal bannermen would support him when the time came. To this effect Gyles married off or betrothed his granddaughters to the heirs of Houses Florent, Oakheart, Osgrey and rowan. All powerful houses. Unfortunately for Gyles though the main problem would be the fact that while his strength was concentrated in the northern Reach it was the southern Reach which would face the bulk of the fighting.

The Dornish houses along with House Tarly who would likely support Princess Rhaenyra would fight with the forces of Houses Hightower and Redwyne. Such fighting would also affect the Reach proper i.e. the lands directly ruled by House Gardener. Further concerns came to Gyles in the form of the Ironborn who would surely use any opportunity such as this to reave and plunder the Reach.

Therefore in 113 AC Lord Gyles ordered the construction of the Keep of Seagarden at the mouth of the river Mander and began assembling a fleet there, it consisted both of trade ship and more importantly war ships which while were not that large in number were enough to fight off any raids along the western coast of the reach. Lord Gyles also began improving and expanding the bridges and roads built by his father and grandfather which were now to be extended to each and every keep, town, and village, publicly these actions were taken to aid trade but in reality it was to ensure that Highgarden could move its forces quickly to every corner of the reach if need be. Gyles also turned down offers made by the Hand and the princess offering him and his family important posts, knowing that doing so would drag them into the conflict to come and that it was better to stay out of it.

This was especially true because Lord Gyles realized that staying neutral was the only way for House Gardner to "win" for siding with the Greens would mean losing their status as the rulers of the Reach while siding with the Blacks would mean they would not gain anything for Rhaenyra was perhaps the most ignorant person in terms of the Game of thrones in the seven kingdoms, second only to the King. House Gardner would receive nothing if they fought for her.

Yet for all his preparation and fears the peace continued for more than a decade, the war which Lord Gyles feared imminent turned out to be rather slow in arriving, the children of Viserys grew and soon began to have their own children. Laenor Velaryon married Rhaenyra who had three children, all sired by Harwin strong of course even if one couldn’t say so in front of the king. Eventually Laenor died, murdered in spice town, leading to Rhaenyra marrying her uncle Daemon. Viserys eldest son Aegon also grew up in this time and married Helena, his sister and sired three children by her.

However while war had been averted for a time by King Viserys who would not tolerate fighting in the court, it was now destined to come for the Royal family itself was undoubtedly split and ready to fight. Most worryingly, more and more people were also noticing the fact that war was inevitable and had begun preparation, chief among them Dalton Greyjoy, who had just recently become Lord of the Iron Islands at a young age. His accession to the seastone chair made Gyles thankful he had fortified the western coast as from the reports he received Dalton Greyjoy was a monster like his ancestors.

But for as long as the king lived the realm could pretend that war was not on the horizon. Instead even as they sharpened their blades and stacked their decks the realm outwardly was peaceful. During the opening of King Jaehaerys Sept and the Great Gardner Sept they smiled and laugh as if they were old friends.

And then one calm day in 129 AC Queen Alicent was informed by a servant of the death of her husband King Viserys.

The Dance of the Dragons Had Begun.

For Lord Gyles the news that the war had begun came as all dread news comes, in the claw of a raven. The now Dowager Queen Alicent had sent a letter to Gyles informing him of her husband’s death and in it tried to use his marriage to her Great Aunt Alyssa to have him swear fealty to her son Aegon who was now to be crowned Aegon II.

Lord Gyles upon reading the letter sent his own missives to all his allies, demanding that they prepare their armies as planned. He also sent word to the Masters at both Seagarden and Northgarden to be on the watch for any armies or fleets which may use this time to prey upon the Reach. At first the war was one of words as each side took time to prepare Hosts the size unseen for three generation. Soon word came of King Aegon’s II Coronation, of the Vale, the Riverlands and Dorne Declaring for Rhaenyra and the battle of Harrenhal, the Blacks clearly had the momentum and it seemed for a short time that a long war might be averted completely. However word then came of the death of Prince Lucerys at the hands of Prince Aemond Targaryen. This event marked the beginning of the fighting and when the war truly began.

As Lord Gyles deployed his forces he tried his best to maintain order within the Reach, a noble if futile goal, for soon the southern Reach was engulfed in the fighting as the Tarly’s, Beesbury’s and the stony Dornish began their invasion of Oldtown, trying to cut off House Hightower’s strength from the fighting. In the Northeast House Osgrey had to fight off raids from the Riverlords who were trying to stop the food barges and carts from reaching Kings Landing in a bid to starve out the Greens.

Despite this the fighting was still limited. This changed when word came from Kings Landing, it seemed that the Blacks in a bid for vengeance had hired 2 criminals to kill Prince Jaehaerys in order to avenge prince Lucerys. This act lead to the Greens to go on the offensive. Ser Criston Cole, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and the new Hand of the King then sacks Duskendale while the Arbor fleet burns attacks and burns three towers, hellholt and Starfall .

At rook's rest a terrible battle takes place between the Greens and the Blacks. In the aftermath King Aegon is greatly wounded while fighting Princess Rhaenys, wife of the Sea snake. but not before killing her, depriving the Blacks of one of their most important leaders. Furthermore the Greens invite the Kingdom of the Three Daughters into the conflict by promising them vengeance against Daemon Targaryen, Rhaenyra's husband and the Sea Snake who were hated by the Three Daughter due to Daemon and the Sea Snakes attempts to carve their own kingdom from the Stepstones many years ago.

As the fighting continued Prince Aemond, younger brother of King Aegon II, took control from his brother who was too injured to fight any longer. His first act was to take his dragon Vhagar south to the Stormlands where he burned the Dornish host which had come north to support Rhaenyra. While a century ago the Dornish were able to resist the dragons in their deserts, now in the open fields of the Stormlands they were defenseless, and if to prove that Aemond burnt their host, the massacre by Blackhaven as it was known saw over 5000 dornish troops burning, and thousands more being injured and fleeing. Not to leave it half finished Aemond One eye would with the assistance of the Stormlords and the Hightower fleet sack and burn large chunks of Dorne in a sad repeat of the Dragons Wroth. This would see Dorne being knocked out for most of the war, its Lords too scared of losing everything in the war like their ancestors had. Another factor was that they could no longer assemble hosts large enough to properly invade either the Stormlands or the Reach any longer, indeed the only other host the Dornish would raise would be small. As such they spent the rest of the war essentially just holding Dorne in Rhaenyra’s name.

As Aemond brought stability to the Stormlands the Black Factions Crown Prince Jacaerys, Eldest son of Rhaenyra, summoned the dragon seed. These were till then ordinary people who had dragon blood flowing through their veins due to their parents being whor*s or simply men or women who caught the eyes of the Targaryens. He promised those who could tame one of the wild dragons present on Dragonstone great riches and titles. Many tried and died for their efforts, but some succeeded. And so in the end this exercise gave the Blacks four more dragons to use.

In the Reach this news was greeted by joy and despair depending which side the person receiving the news was on. However for House Gardener the news brought a rather large headache. This was as Dalton Greyjoy upon hearing of four new dragon riders joining the Black faction and declared for Rhaenyra, he then took his fleet and decided to begin reaving along the Reach and Westerlands coast. While the Gardener and Redwyne Fleets were able to hold him off for the time, the same could not be said of the Westerlands who saw Lannisport and other towns sacked. The Reach’s situation while not as bad was not good either. The fighting in the south was taking its toll and with the Greens demanding that the Redwynes protect Oldtown, it seemed that House gardener could not presume to maintain its current fleet protecting the reach.

Furthermore the fighting in the upper Reach was growing more and more intense as both the Blacks and the Greens tried to seize control of the land either to secure or deny the flow of grain to the Crownlands. As such more and more troops were to be committed in the north. The only silver lining for House Gardner was that both sides had made conscious efforts not to attack Northgarden in order to remain on amicable terms with Lord Gyles.

As the new year dawned Westeros, barring the North which had stayed neutral, was in chaos. Even the Mander proper and most of the northern reach while mostly untouched by fighting was still straining under the large number of refugees. The Greens were once again clearly on the defensive against Rhaenyra’s forces but they however managed to score two significant victories, for their overtures to the Three Daughters had borne fruit. When it's fleet was in the process of breaking the blockade on the gullet they were able to not only killed Prince Jacaerys but also sack both Spice Town and High Tide. Despite this devastating blow though the fighting only became more intense. Knowing that the Reach had to be made secure before it completely fell to anarchy however, Gyles began to plot.

From his reports over the years Garth knew that the Queen Helena was a very motherly and caring woman. Lord Gyles therefore wrote her a letter outlining the situation in the Reach. He knew that while it was said that the queen had lost all energy after the death of her son, such women could be very fierce when it came to protecting the children they still had and so he informed her that if the situation got worse his priority would be to restore order rather than protect the food shipments to Kings landing, he also told her of how her Hightower kin were as such surrounded. In the ending of the letter he added an innocent line about how she should not worry though, for Oldtown despite being surrounded was rather secure especially the Hightower itself which was more secure that Kings landing considering that the Blacks had no influence in Oldtown.

As Gyles expected word came that Queen Helena had taken off with her two children upon Dreamfyre ,her dragon, and made way to Oldtown. Upon reaching Oldtown and ensuring her children were to be kept safe at the Hightower Helena then flew up the Honeywine river where she with her brother Daeron burnt the Black hosts at the battle of the Honeywine. This meant that in a single battle the greens had achieved a massive victory in the reach. The green army could now use the road system to march north and aid their other forces.

However while most of the army along with Daeron marched north Queen Helena flew west, meeting with the Redwyne fleet who had docked next to Crakehall. From there Helena gathered an army to deal with Dalton Greyjoy for when word had arrived that Lord Lannister and his host were killed in the Riverlands the Red Kraken had decided to reave and plunder the Westerlands at his leisure.

Once the army was gathered Queen Helena marched along the Ocean Road to Lannisport, burning any Ironborn in her path, freeing any and all of their captives and restoring order. Within a week Helena’s army were welcomed by cheering crowds at Lannisport. However this victory was muted by the fact that in that time Kings Landing had been captured, with her grandfather Ser Otto along with many supporter beheaded. Worse was the fact that while her children were safe in Oldtown her mother was a prisoner while her husband Aegon was missing, presumed dead.

The next morning an angry Helena and a large army composed of revenge seeking Westermen set off to burn the Iron Islands in vengeance. Learning the lessons of Queen Rhaenys and Prince Jacaerys Helena rained fire from high above not letting the Red Krakens arrows or scorpions reach her. Soon Helena’s army had reached the iron islands where they went upon a terrible rampage, all Ironborn men, women and children were slaughtered while Helena set their keeps, towns, villages and forests aflame.

The soldiers also freed all the thralls and saltwives the Ironborn had imprisoned. Helena upon seeing the conditions these men and women were forced to live in was enraged and so not only did she order all the drowned priests to be killed, she also armed the thralls and Saltwives allowing them to take all the vengeance their hearts desired upon their captors. This action lead to thousands upon thousands of Ironborn dying as their former slaves-in-all-but-name began hunting their masters in an almost religious zeal. This along with the carnage caused by the soldiers and Dreamfyre meant that when Helena left the islands about three moons later the Ironborn were a shadow of their past selves.

During this time the butchers ball had occurred in the Riverland's, where the Blacks had ambushed the forces lead by Ser Criston Cole. The event lead to the demise of the Green army in the Riverland's and the death of Ser Criston Cole on the hands of the Riverlords. Furthermore the blacks were soon able to consolidate their hold on the Riverland's despite Aemond terrorizing the area. This along with the Blacks hold on the Crownlands the meant that the Greens no longer held any kingdom but the Westerlands and Iron Islands in their entirety. For the Dornish had raised another host composed of the scattered remains of the previous one and had begun to slowly march through the Stormlands with the goal of taking Storms End.

However despite these setbacks the Greens were gaining momentum, the Green army of the Reach was quickly making its way up the Garden road which connected Highgarden and Kings Landing. They also scored victory after victory from Bitterbridge on defeating the last remnants of the Black army of the reach as they kept fleeing on the sight of Daeron’s dragon. Knowing this Rhaenyra sent two of the dragonseeds Ulf the White and Hugh Hammer to Tumbleton where they were to meet up with the approaching Black army and push back the Greens.

It was this time that Wallace Goodshield the Lord of Tumbleton evacuated the town, sending its people along with all their food and valuables into the mountain to protect them from what was likely to be the most fierce battle in the Reach. A wise move by Lord Wallace for in the ensuing battle Tumbleton was completely burned but not in the manner he expected.

This was as while Rhaenyra’s army was larger and had one more dragon than the Green side, the Greens had their own advantages. For one unlike the Blacks who had no access to food and were weak and hungry since the townsfolk had fled into the mountains, the Greens were well fed. More importantly though was the fact that the two dragon seeds had betrayed Rhaenyra and had changed allegiance to the Greens, burning the Black armies. This led to the First Battle of Tumbleton being a complete disaster for the Blacks.

Though their luck held out and the Greens refused to march on as the leaders of the army were divided on how to proceed. The Blacks luck also allowed a massive victory, as on a cloudy day while prince Aemond was flying over the god's eye he was found Daemon who was able to catch him by surprise. In this time Daemon and his dragon were able to strike a killing blow on Vhagar, plunging Aemond to his death. This loss meant that one of the most feared dragons and one of the best warriors of the Green faction was dead. Upon hearing the news Queen Rhaenyra held a feast to celebrate. However soon a grave problem would begin hounding her.

In the reach Lord Gyles Had finally restored stability. His armies now controlled all the lands barring Oldtown. The fighting had been ended and each house both small and big had been forced to give up hostages to ensure their compliance, again barring House Hightower. It was at this time that the white ravens of the citadel arrived announcing the coming of an Autumn year. Knowing that the fighting had depleted the Reach’s storages Lord Gyles forbade any and all selling of grain to any other kingdom because the lower expected harvest and large level of destroyed crops meant that while the Reach was not in danger of seeing large scale famine they had no surplus of food.

This led to food shortage throughout Westeros as there was little food anywhere for any food which was not ravaged by the war had been sent to aid it, as such even the Vale or Dorne had little food stored.

With this soon starvation began besieging the rest of the kingdoms, barring the Westerlands where Lady Johana Lannister, who was ruling as regent for her son, had negotiated a trade deal to ensure food supply with the Pentoshi. However the rest of the kingdoms who did not have the deep gold and silver mines of the Westerlands would have to do without.

This of course meant that it was the Blacks and their supporters who would go hungry the most, turning many of the smallfolk against Rhaenyra’s cause. The Blacks were further weakened by the loss of nettles who had fled after Rhaenyra demanded her head to prevent another betrayal. Also Helena had finally landed back onto the mainland after her battle in the Iron Islands. She along with the thralls, saltwives and soldiers landed at Seaguard where Lord Mallister bent the knee but refused to allow her people into the town declaring his own people needed to be protected by him first. Helena then moved inland, distributing the freed people into villages and hamlets which they came upon, other left to return to their original homes with some seizing ships and coin to pay in order to cross the narrow sea.

As Helena conquered the Riverland's the second battle of Tumbleton took place, Unlike the first battle this was a disaster for the Green camp. In the dark of night Ser Addam Velaryon attacked the Green camp, killing Prince Daeron in fire along with causing chaos amongst the Green ranks. In the fighting the two Dragonseed were also killed, however their dragons survived and ripped Ser Addam and his dragon to pieces. The Dragon Silverwing then turned upon any and all in its path, killing thousands. The Carnage of Tumbleton as it’s called was one of the bloodiest battles of the war. Its most accurate source is the book “Tumbleton Burns” by Lord Wallace Goodshield who watched the carnage from afar using a sea glass and also collected testimonies of the survivors who remained at Tumbleton when the war ended.

Despite the technical victory of the Blacks at the second battle of Tumbleton the situation looked bleak, for after the battle had ended an army led by Lord Rowan had arrived and seized all weapons, expelling any of the Rivermen and ending the War in the Reach. While this meant that they no longer had to worry about a major portion of Westeros, it also meant that they had no way of reaching Oldtown allowing the Hightowers and the Rreens a safe spot to recuperate. Meanwhile Helena Targaryen had taken the upper Riverland's which at the time were the main food producers for the Blacks as the lower Riverland's had burnt.

Rhaenyra then decided to consolidate her power, she recalled Joffrey, her third son from the Vale and began gathering her armies. News then came from Oldtown that Prince Maelor was dead, he had apparently died while trying to fly and had jumped out a window. Maelor’s death threw Helena into a rage, and she began burning any and all keeps controlled by the Blacks. Knowing that the Vale supported Rhaenyra Helena flew over the bloody gate and set the Vale alight. The Gates of the Moon, Runestone, Old Anchor, Gulltown none were spared. Helena’s terror as it was called only ended when Daemon confronted her in the Battle by the Giant's Lance, which lead to both Helena and Daemon along with their dragons dying.

With their deaths the war began coming to a close. For by now the smallfolk had gotten tired of all the fighting. When word arrived that Daemon was dead and that Lord Borros Baratheon was gathering a host to march on the city a panic broke out. Many of the people of Kings Landing were refugees and were tired of fleeing and of sleeping hungry.

As such soon riots broke out, so large that the goldcloaks could not contain them. After some three days of rioting the people of Kings landing stormed the dragon pit ,on the orders of a mad Septon by the name of Shepard who preached that the dragons were evil and the source of their misery, and were on a mission to kill all the dragons within. However despite the dragon's fire, the rioters were too large in numbers and soon the dragon pit collapsed killing both dragon and smallfolk. Among the dead was Rhaenyra’s son Joffrey who had tried to save the dragons. After this episode Rhaenyra ,who grieved the loss of yet another son, and her councilors believed the city to be lost and fled the next day through the dragon gate.

Rhaenyra then made her way to Dragonstone where she was captured by Aegon the Second who had been hiding in the castle since the fall of Kings landing. Aegon had Rhaenyra fed to his dragon Sunfyre an event he made Rhaenyra’s son Aegon the younger watch. The death of Rhaenyra should have ended the black cause however they persevered, believing that despite Rhaenyra’s death victory was close.

Soon after Aegon made his way back to Kings Landing, where the army of Lord Borros had restored order to the city. However victory was still not in their grasp as both the Dornish host as well as the Rivermen were advancing on the city. The Final Battle was yet to come. Worried about the two hosts meeting, Lord Borros took his host to meet the Rivermen on the Kingsroad, It would have been an easy victory for the Stag lord if not for the fact that the Dornish who had been marching at full pace ever since news of the riots reached them and were able to join the final battle, trapping Lord Borros and defeating him at the battle of the Kingsroad. Soon after the Black host found the gate's of Kings landing open, the King Aegon II dead by poison and Rhaenyra’s son Aegon sitting upon the iron throne with Lord Corlys Velaryon the sea snake by his side wearing the badge of the Hand of the King

The Black Faction had won and the Dance of the Dragons over, But at what Price?

Chapter 11: The Dragonsbane and the Line of the Dragonless

Chapter Text

The Dance of the Dragons had devastated Westeros. Its fields were burnt, its families broken and its people lay dead by the hundreds of thousands. After the fighting had mostly died down, word arrived from Kings Landing, Aegon II was dead and his nephew Aegon III was now the new king. It seemed that Corlys velaryon had been named Hand of the King and as his first act called for a Great Council at the Red Keep.

And so in the first month of the 131st year of Aegon’s conquest Lord Gyles Gardner left for Kings landing with 3000 guards not including the men brought as stewards, servants, Maesters etc. In truth it was less for security but rather to make a statement, that despite the Dance House Gardner's strength and lands were intact for no other House, even the Crown and House Hightower or for that matter no kingdom barring the North who had stayed neutral could have mustered more men than Highgarden at that time.

There, at the Great Council of 131 AC a new order and peace was formed. Over 40 lords and heirs were betroth to the daughters of their opponents, chief amongst them was the betrothal of Young King Aegon to Jaehaera Targaryen the only surviving child of Aegon II. Furthermore, over the heavy protest of the Dornish and some of the more fanatical Black supporters the ruling of the Great Council of 101 AC was held to be the undisputed law of the land. The throne would not be allowed to be claimed by a woman if a male heir existed with the Kingship of Aegon III formally being explained due to his Sire being Prince Daemon younger brother of King Viserys.

Furthermore a council of seven regents was to govern until the king was of age, with Lord Corlys also serving as Hand of the King. A bitter ending to a bitter war, difficult to accept even though it was necessary.

After this the Great Council was disbanded and the Lords returned home. In the ensuing years while the City of Kings Landing itself was a place of great politicking as the regents and their supporters tried to gain influence and power the rest of Westeros was quiet, if not peaceful. For the people wanted simply to rebuild their lives, the realm had seen the consequences of fracturing and fighting and they wanted to put all of it behind them. And so began the reign of Aegon III. When he came of age he made his brother Prince Viserys, who previously had been held captives by Lysene merchant-pirates, the Hand of the King and together they worked to maintain the peace. Aegon III also refused to commit to any grand works or adventures, for he had little energy or enthusiasm. In the end Aegon perfectly encapsulated the Targaryen dynasty after the dance especially when the last dragon died, broken kings ruling a broken realm, who while healing very slowly would never be as great as they could be.

It was also during his reign that Lord Gyles finally passed away, known as the old Gardner after his death, Lord Gyles became the first Gardner officially verified by the Maesters to have lived past 100 years, a feat matched by few men. He was buried in the crypt of the Great Gardner Sept in Highgarden and was succeeded by his great grandson Mern the rock.

Mern earned his name during the Dance of the Dragons, and it stood as testament to both his immense strength and also his stubbornness, for once Mern decided on a course of action the Seven themselves had to intervene to change his mind. Mern’s reign despite his war like nature was mostly peaceful, the bloodlust having being spent completely in the Dance. As such the warrior lord spent most of his time overseeing the rebuilding of the reach, a task it is said he found intolerable. His greatest joy in his duties as such became the hunting down of the bandits who had emerged in the chaos following the dance. Mern decided to marry Sarah Oakheart the eldest daughter of Lord Oakheart, who bore him a son whom he named Garth after his father.

As they years pass King Aegon grows weaker and dies after 26 years on the throne in 157 AC. His eldest son Daeron takes the throne and is crowned Daeron the First. King Daeron is everything his father is not, he is energetic, charming, intelligent and bold. Despite being of Queen Jaehaera’s womb and as such the direct heir to Aegon II, Daeron always was closer to his father and like him felt the loss of Queen Rhaenyra keenly, even though he never met her. With this in mind along with the urge for adventure strong in his veins Daeron gathered his Lords in the Red Keep in 158 AC and announced the war for which he is known, The Iron throne would Conquer the Stepstones.

From the very onset of his declaration Daeron had many opponent chief amongst them was his uncle and Hand of the King Prince Viserys. Prince Viserys felt that a war would be pointless and unsuccessful, after all his own father Daemon had attempted to conquer the Stepstones with dragons and he failed despite. What chance did Daeron have? To this Daeron replied, “You have a dragon, he stands in front of you”.

Daeron spent over a year planning and preparing for his war and so in 159 AC set out to conquer the isle’s. The War of the Stepstones lasted about 2 years, during which many battles both on land and sea were fought for the islands were home to many cut throat pirated who took to attacking and harassing Daeron in order to protect their ports and strongholds. Despite this however Daeron succeeded and by 161 AC the last pirate had been executed, with the islands divided between both the brothers and second sons of prominent lords as well as warriors who had proved both valiant or performed great deeds. Along with giving the Iron Throne control of the gates to the Narrow Sea the War of the Stepstones is also important in clearing much of the lingering suspicion that remained from the Dance of the Dragons, sons whose fathers and uncles were opponents in Dance used this the war to grow close ties with one another.

However peace was elusive for the Tyrosh, Myr and Lys had once again banded together under the banner of the Three Daughters or in some messages Three sisters (an unpopular phrasing in Westeros as it confused them with the Three Sisters of the Bite) to combat Daeron’s armies. Many of the magisters had also lost great sums of money when the pirates they sponsored were killed and wanted vengeance, and so the Second War of the Stepstones was fought. This war was much more brutal than the first, however it was also shorter. For none of the three cities was truly skilled at Large scale war and they had been dependent on sell swords and slave guards for too long. As such by the end of 162 AC Daeron had conquered the Second Kingdom of the Three Daughters. Knowing that his grip on power was weak however Daeron knew he had to tip the balance of power in his favor. And so he wrote the most consequential decree of his reign.

The slaves in the Kingdom of the three Daughters were to be freed, and settled as free men in the disputed lands. In one brilliant stroke Daeron had gained armies of loyal supporters, broken the power of the Magisters and had silenced complaints from detractors by tying his war with the Westerosi hatred for slavery. Daeron remained in Essos for the next year overseeing the new order, naming second sons and brother as Magisters and lords and awarding them land and wealth, punishing the remaining slavers (3,000 Tyroshi men and women were put to the sword in the year after Daeron's Great Emancipation Decree for practicing slavery), dreaming of further conquest but alas it was not meant to be.

For one day a squire from the Stormlands found the young king in bed with.. company. Hardly a matter for controversy or comment if not for the fact Daeron’s lover had a co*ck rather than a c*nt. While originally the Lords tried to ignore the matter Daeron who had grown arrogant began openly taking male lovers, even allegedly it is said to have asked the newly named First Septon of Myr if the Doctrine of Exceptionalism could be amended to take into account the Kings…preferences. The uproar to this supposed desire was immediate, and in a grave betrayal was led by Daeron’s younger brother Baelor, a devout man who had trained to become a Septon all his life and who indeed was unhappy with the Doctrine of Exceptionalism in its entirety.

This backlash by the faith also had deeper consequences, the most noticeable being the fact that Daeron expelled all the Septons and Septas from the Three Daughters in a fit of pique. These men and women had come along with the army hoping to spread the seven pointed star in Essos, however once they turned against Daeron he had them sent back, lest they lead a rebellion against him or undermine his authority. This meant that the faith never got the chance to establish properly establish a foothold in Essos in grand sense and while it would grow due to the continuing influence of new Westerosi magisters it would not become the dominant faith of the Three Daughters

In 164 AC after while Daeron was returning to Westeros in order to ensure continued support for his rule, his ship was caught in a terrible storm killing the king and many other important Lords. Furthermore using the death of the Daeron as an opportunity the magisters of the three Daughters rebelled, though their attempts to restore the old order of slavery failed as they faced a potentially massive uprising from the former slaves who outnumbered the freemen three to one and thanks to Daeron had access to swords, staff and other weapons. As such the magisters, who as it is were much lesser in number, lands and wealth due to Daeron's reforms and Purges, were only partially successful as while the three daughter successfully broke with the Iron Throne, they became a freehold devoid of slavery rather than reverting to their previous form, with the powers of the magisters checked by Archons who were selected from the nobility but were elected by all freedmen.

Over time the Kingdom of the Three Daughter became one of the most powerful entities of the known world, with Large Navies, Massive armies and Great wealth, especially as the disputed lands had once again become the prosperous lands. The Kingdom of the Three Daughters also abhorred slavery and its practice, even in the form of bondsman, had led to many rich magisters and their families torn to shreds by the people on the street when it became known they had secretly enslaved people. As such its emergence also marked the decline in slavery in Essos, particularly in the western half

In Westeros the death of Daeron and the news of the rebellion was met with shock, particularly because most of the Westerosi second sons and new nobles who had been installed by Daeron in the Three Daughters had turned cloak. While the nobility claimed it was due to vile foreign sorcery particularly those whose sons were part of the turncloaks Maesters speculate that it was mostly a pragmatic choice for King Daeron had decreed that each Magister would owe fealty and half their tribute to the main line in Westeros. Thus when the remaining magisters rebelled the new magisters decided to take the opportunity to secure their own holdings.

Many lords and knights wanted the new King Baelor to reconquer the Three Daughter using the Stepstones which had remained under the Iron thrones control as a base. Baelor however rejected this and preferred to maintain peace and to focus his attention closer to home.

His rule marked an increase in the influence of the faith and is perhaps most remembered for the scandals of Daena the Defiant and the beginning of the construction of the Great Sept of Baelor which would exceed the size of the Great Sept of Kings Landing or King Jaehaerys Sept. However despite this King Baelor led a very important reign, under his rule Kings Landing was expanded with a new wall in the north bank. Furthermore it was King Baelor who allowed for the forests on Kings Landings South bank, in the Kings wood to be cut down starting the construction of Southern Kings Landing, with Baelor building both river and sea docks.

King Baelor in his reign also greatly reformed the Faith, in a way that had not been done since the days of Aegon the Conqueror. He would be the one who got the cardinals to elect the First Septon of Kings Landing as the new High Septon, a position that has been held by said First Septons ever since. He also created a common set of institution to govern the Faith including a common set of religious laws to be obeyed by all Septons, Septas and other Clergy in the way that King Jaehaerys had created a common set of laws for the lay people. He also created a common procedure for Clerical trials and a common standard of punishment. He also reformed religious tithes and taxes, unlike the Kings taxes which had been made common a century ago these were still divided and arbitrary, and so he set a common rate and framework. Established a common obligation onto all Septs big and small in terms of the alms they had to distribute and the services and aid they had to give, reformed the way the clergy were paid, ensured that Septs had to aid one another during disaster and not merely blame it on gods will for punishing the heretical parts of the faith (something which should have been obvious but had not been formalized into the rules of the faith).

Baelor also formally created a common lists of Saints, and the method of adding ones, He also created a common calendar of celebration for the faith and commissioned many septs and other such buildings across the realm. When King Baelor died his own name and that of Aegon the Conqueror would be added on to the list of Saints of the Faith, gaining the septon king a new epithet Baelor the Blessed. However many of the foundations of what would be the Blackfyre rebellions would also be established in Baelor reign.

Baelor died in 171 AC after seven years on the throne, a symbolic length such a religious man.He was succeeded by his uncle Prince now King Viserys, the man who had otherwise been ruling the realm in all but name for 30 years. Viserys reign was short lasting barley a year, despite this viserys achieved much, he signed agreements with the free cities to increase trade, sent the royal fleet to fight of corsairs from the basilisk isle’s and reformed and updated king Jaehaery’s code of law. Despite all these works Viserys is still mostly remembered for fathering his son and heir who would rule Westeros for the next decade and almost bring it to its knees. This man was Aegon IV also known as Aegon the Unworthy.

Aegon IV began his reign when he was young, vigorous, robust, and handsome but ended it old, corrupt and morbidly obese. By the end of it he was bloated and fat. His eyes were almost lost in the fat of his face, his legs too weak to support his belly. He had a small mouth and a large beard used in an attempt to cover the fat of his neck and face.

As a young prince, Aegon accompanied his cousin, King Daeron in his conquest, as did Aegon's younger brother, Prince Aemon "the Dragonknight", who had joined the Kingsguard. When Baelor the Blessed became king after Daeron's death, Baelor dissolved his marriage to his sister-wife, Daena, and imprisoned her and his other sisters in comfortable confinement of the Maidenvault so the sight of her would not tempt him or the men of his court to carnal thoughts. That did not stop Daena from escaping her confinement on three occasions, one time with the help of her cousin, Prince Aegon. Daena became pregnant, refused to say who the father was, and was dubbed "Daena the Defiant" for her willfulness. In time she gave birth to Aegon's son who she named Daemon.

Daemon was not the first of Aegon's bastards, however. Aegon had already acknowledged multiple children by two of his four mistresses, and more children would follow. In his marriage, however, childbirth went less easily. During the years of their marriage, Princess Naerys his sister-wife had several difficult pregnancies. In 171 AC, Naerys gave birth to twins who died shortly after the birth.

This caused the new king, Baelor I Targaryen, to fast for a moon's turn which is said to have hastened the mans death. Because Naerys nearly died during this pregnancy, King Baelor sent Prince Aegon to Braavos on a diplomatic mission. Accounts at the time suggest it was an excuse to make certain Aegon left Naerys alone as she recovered from the failed childbirth. The King would die and his Farther Viserys would come to the throne while Aegon was in Braavos. In 172 AC, after another troubled labor, Naerys gave birth to a daughter named Daenerys. Daenerys' twin brother, however, was stillborn.

In 172 AC, the throne passed to Aegon, the Fourth of His Name.

Aegon IV is generally considered to be one of the worst kings in the history of Westeros, and is dubbed "Aegon the Unworthy" in the face of his excess and misrule. Aegon's behavior caused great strife at court, especially with his son Daeron and Aegon's brother Aemon, who was then the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.

Aegon's misrule started with small acts of pleasure, but in time his appetites knew no bounds and his corruption and oppression led to acts that would haunt the realm for generations to come. He filled his court not with men who were noble, wise, or honest, but with those who could flatter and amuse him. The women at court were largely those who could do the same, letting him slake his lusts upon their bodies. On his whims he gave to one House while taking from another. He deprived men of their rightful inheritance, when he desired their wealth, as rumors claim he did following the death of Lord Ossifer Plumm during his wedding day.

Aegon gave away priceless treasures to Lords who managed to please him and for the sake of his desires: an example, on one of his many trips he gifted a dragon egg to Lord Butterwell, after guesting at his castle and allegedly impregnating his host's three maiden daughters in one night. Aegon used promotions of the City Watch of King's Landing as a way to shower largesse on those he most favored, and they in turn made sure that the brothels - and even the decent women of the city- were made available for Aegon's lusts whenever their King desired.

It was during his reign and misrule that the Targaryens truly lost most of their absolute authority. The most prominent way they lost these was by granting too generous a charter and tax deeds, giving up the tools by which previous Targaryens kings had kept ambitious and potentially treacherous lords and vassals from growing too powerful.

It is said that when rumors spread of the kings fickle nature, Lord Mason Mallister used flattery, lysene wines and whor*s to convince the king to grant a city charter for seaguard. Something that the Mallister’s had been after for centuries but had always been prevented from receiving by more intelligent kings. This charter not only greatly upset the balance of power in the Riverland's but also began an endless stream of lords who would give the king gifts and exotic pleasure whether they be from food, drink or whor*s in return for increased powers. And it was not just small Lords, Lord Garth, son of Lord Mern Gardener was at the start of the kings reign constantly at the Red keep, trading coin and exotic goods for power and more autonomy.

For the first few years Aegon’s misrule while harmful was manageable. Yes the lords had more power but they were now also more loyal to the king who gave them the power. The upset balance of power also prevented conflict for each lord was too busy trying to win the kings favor to bother fighting or raising armies. The realm for all its corruption was stable and at peace.

Things began to change however by the time Aegon recognized his bastard son by Princess Daena, Daemon waters. Aegon IV gave Blackfyre the sword of the King and of Aegon the Conqueror not to his heir, Prince Daeron but to Daemon, when he knighted the young Daemon at the age of 12, formally recognizing him as his son. Talk of Daemon becoming Aegon's heir instead of Daeron began after this point. Daemon Waters who later grew up to become Daemon Blackfyre taking the name of the sword for his own.

Suddenly it seemed more and more royal bastards began appearing, each holding both the dragons blood along with that of other noble houses, and each was an insult to some noble lord or another. Furthermore while Kings Baelor and Viserys had left a full treasury and King Aegon had drained it, his gifts and expenditure and misrule meaning that the realm, despite having its highest income ever recorded, was in growing amounts of debt. All these problems were compounded by the fact that a growing split was occurring at the royal court.

In the last few years of Aegon's corrupt reign, his heir, Prince Daeron, became one of the biggest obstacles to Aegon's misrule. While some lords saw opportunity in the gluttonous, corpulent king who could easily be convinced to part with honors, offices and treasures for a chance at pleasure, many others who condemned the king's behavior flocked to Daeron. King Aegon IV, despite all the threats, japes and disparities he heaped upon his son, never formally disowned Prince Daeron. Accounts differ as to why, the most likely explanation being that Aegon knew that his hold on his throne would not be secure if he disowned his son. It would mean civil war, as many lords who were sickened by Aegon's depravity would defend Prince Daeron's rights. Chief amongst them were House Martell, due to the fact Daeron was married to Princess Myriah Martell of Sunspear. Thus King Aegon IV tried to use the ancient hatreds and rivalries of the stormlands and the Reach toward Dorne to his advantage but would not succceed for the Lord of Higharden and Storms End supported Daeron and disliked the realm being ruined by the King. Over time as Aegon found it harder to quieten his son and more and more people began turning against the unworthy king, Aegon IV never one to care about others began slandering his by now deceased wife and son by loudly accusing Daeron to be the bastard son of his brother Aemon the Dragonknight rather than his blood.

In the end Aegon the Unworthy's last year was marked by disease and filth, an autumn sickness had spread throughout the realm and many lords and smallfolk had succumbed to it. During this time the realm continued to bleed money and drowned in such a great amount of vice and corruption that it is saids the gods and punished the body of the King itself for his sins.

King Aegon IV died a horrible death, He had become so morbidly obese he could not walk anymore, his bloated body so swollen that he could not even lift himself from his couch that became covered in his feces. Aegon's limbs were rotting and crawling in hosts of flesh worms, and the maesters said they had never seen the like of this before.

In the end there is not much positive legacy of the Unworthy king. Nothing of note occurred but the wreckage the king had willfully brought on the realm, he began no great works merely continued them, though even there if not for the efforts of Queen Naerys and Prince Daeron the Great Sept of Balor would probably have seen its work stop.

And so would have ended the reign of Aegon IV, in decadence and sin. He would not have been loved but also not so hated either for it not for one decision, one decision which would wreck war and misery for generations. On his deathbed King Aegon IV legitimized all his bastards, a decree that would lay the seeds to generations of war, bloodshed, death, and woe to the realm.

When King Daeron ascended to the throne in 184 AC, the realm was in bad need of repair. The reign of King Aegon IV had wrecked many of its institutions, it was in debt and few of its offices were held by lord capable or willing to do their jobs. King Daeron chose to crown himself with his father's crown to quell the doubts and rumors about his parentage. Mindful of his duty to the realm, Daeron acted swiftly to put to right many of the wrongs of his father's reign. He replaced the small council with his own men, typically selecting wise and capable councillors. It took a year to repair the City Watch of King's Landing, whose officers were just as corrupt as Aegon had been. But to fix the realm from a decade of misrule was such a great task King Daeron knew that he alone could not fix all of it. Thus he began calling upon Dornish Lords and Ladies who he knew due to his marriage with his wife would be loyal to him, as many of the then current office holders had gained such offices by slandering Daeron. Also important for Daeron was that since Dorne was generally isolated due to Aegon IV's dislike of the Dornish these nobles were not tainted by his father’s reign.

While this did help repair the harm to the realm it caused problems of their own. The First problem was Queen Mariah who was not a good or loved woman. She was in fact rather rude and condescending to Non Dornish Lords and she used her position as queen to promote her own supporters to every position she could. This made Daeron rather unpopular with the nobles, who felt that Daeron was no more than a Martell puppet. These concerns about the influence of the Dornish were compounded by two factors, one was the fact that Daeron’s heir Baelor looked more Dornish than Valyrian and second was that Daeron married his sister Daenerys to Prince Maron Martell, his good brother without even considering any other offer for her hand.

Daeron also made many enemies in his quest to fix the realm. In order to pay back debts he raised taxes, he also began going after his fathers cronies, most of whom had stolen from the crown in such a blatant manner that it was easy to recover the money but of course while this won him praise it also made the Lords who were put on trial very angry.

Daeron also lost support of many of his Crownland Lords when he sold a huge chunk of lands meant to be part of southern Kings Landing to House Velaryon Of Kings Landing, a new branch of House Velaryon founded by Addam Velaryon the Sea Strider, the younger brother of Lord of the Tides Jaehaerys Velaryon, who like his ancestor Corlys Velaryon had made journeys to the far east becoming one of the richest men in the seven kingdoms even after payng his elder brother the cost of his voyage 5 fold.

The King in return for part of Lord Addam treasure gave him the right to build a manse (but not a keep) in kings landing, to build a sea port of his own, and on the land build warehouses and shops and houses, in truth a city within the city. The King further allowed him to also start his own trade company which would for 10 years get certain tax privileges. In doing so while the King had guaranteed more trade for Kings Landing and more gold for his own coffers, he had created a major threat for the Crownland lords who as it is struggled to compete with the giant that was Kings Landing. Further this blatant favoring had ruined the power balance in the Crownlands by making House Velaryon too powerful. None of this was helped by the fact that while under previous king the Crownland Lords would fill many offices under Daeron most of these went to Dornish Lords.

Further trouble came for Daeron in 187 AC when Lord Garth came to Kings Landing after his father, Lord Mern Gardner had died hunting bandits in the red mountains. Not only did queen Mariah refuse to wear proper attire for the somber occasion she also insulted Lord Garth and his family, so angered she was about the supposed insult Lord Mern had paid to Dorne by entering its lands armed, without permission. This caused Lord Garth to storm out of the Red Keep in anger, since that day relations between Highgarden and the Crown were actively hostile for a long time.

While these events were occurring however the realm was prospering, after proper administration returned Westeros once again flourished after its decline under Aegon IV, soon the Debts of the crown began disappearing, its offices were filled with wise officials and for some even the stigma of the trials got erased with time.As the years of peace passed however a new threat emerged. Whispers soon filled the realm that Daemon Blackfyre, Legitimized son of Aegon IV and Princess Daena the Defiant as well as the holder of Aegon the ConquerorsValyrian steel blade Blackfyre, was planning to usurp the crown.

At first these were dismissed, but soon they grew and grew, after all they were very credible, who couldn’t remember King Aegon denouncing Daeron? And why did he legitimize his bastards if he had a trueborn son? Others simply resented what they saw as a Dornish takeover of the throne and wanted that influence gone, particularly as it seems that half the realms offices were held by the Dornish with Daeron even giving many concessions to the Dornish to adopt more Rhoynar laws again as they had before King Jaehaerys time. Other still harbored hatred for Daeron and blamed him for losing their offices and wanted the gold back.

In the taverns singers sang of Daemon preparing to fight for the hand of princess Daenerys his one true love ignoring the inconvenient facts, as singers are inclined to do, that both Daemon and Daenerys had happy marriages and many children. This continued on until one day in 195 AC King Daeron sent guards to arrest Daemon for treason. What caused this action by the King is still unknown but what is known is that this was the immediate trigger for the Blackfyre rebellion.

It is said that half the realm declared for Daemon, though this may be an exaggeration, as none of the Great Houses did including House Gardner who hated the Queen and thus the King, and not all houses pledged their full support. Notably, Houses Hightower, Butterwell, Oakheart and Tarbeck gave support to both Daemon and Daeron, while others were willing to betray Daemon for Daeron in return for offices.

Most of Daemon Blackfyre's core supporters were concentrated in the Reach and the Stormlands, primarily among the border lords with strong ancestral hatred of the Dornish who resented the Dornish takeover of the realm.

Over the course of the war, battles were fought between the rebels and loyalists in, amongst other places, the Vale, the Westerlands, the Riverlands and at the start the Reach though Lord Garth worked hard to prevent war in the Reach, demanding all lords provide hostages and at the start even allowed both Royalist and Blackfyre armies to leave the Reach to fight in the Stormlands and Riverland's so long as the Reach itself was unharmed. An act which generated much resentment from all but the smallfolk. Ser Quentyn Ball - known as Fireball a half brother of Daemon and one the great Bastards of Aegon IV - attacked the Westerlands, killing Lord Lefford at the gates of Lannisport and then defeating Lord Damon Lannister in turn.

At the crossing of the Mander, Ser Quentyn slew all of Lady Penrose's sons, except for the youngest, whom he spared as a favor to the lady. This act enraged Lord Garth who then participated fully in the First Blackfyre Rebellion as well, raising armies and fighting on behalf of House Targaryen despite his hatred for the King. He won notable victories in the Reach against Daemon Blackfyre's supporters and was able to drive out Blackfyre forces returning peace to the reach. Though he refused to fight in the Riverland's and Stormlands depriving the king of many troops.

On the eve of the Battle of the Redgrass Field, key Blackfyre general Quentyn Ball was slain in a chance encounter, picked off by a random archer when he stopped for a drink of water. Meanwhile, Lord Bracken, whose motivation to support the Blackfyres can be boiled down to the fact that House Blackwood supported the King, had gone across the narrow sea to hire sellswords to reinforce the Blackfyres, but storms delayed the return of him and the Myrish crossbowmen he had hired.

The final conflict of the First Blackfyre Rebellion was the Battle of the Redgrass Field, in late 196AC, as Daemon's rebel army approached King's Landing itself. Lord Baratheons forces could not gather quickly enough to arrive in time for the battle. House Arryn did participate, as Lord Donnel Arryn led the vanguard of the Targaryen forces. However, Daemon Blackfyre shattered his lines, leaving the loyalists in peril until Ser Gwayne Corbray of the Kingsguard arrived with reinforcements. Ser Gwayne Corbray and Daemon Blackfyre came face-to-face during the battle. Their duel, in which Daemon wielded the Valyrian steel sword Blackfyre and Gwayne the Valyrian steel sword Lady Forlorn, is said to have lasted nearly an hour, before Daemon gained the upper hand. Corbray was wounded, but Daemon dismounted, preventing Corbray from being trampled, and commanded that he was taken off the field.

In the meantime Brynden Rivers the Master of Whispers and a bastard of King Ageon IV who had sided with King Daeron II, with his archers, the Raven's Teeth, had captured and assumed a position atop the Weeping Ridge, which overlooked the battlefield and allowed them to rain arrows down among Daemon and his commanders. Daemon’s heir Aegon died first, followed by Daemon himself. When Daemon’s second son, Aegon’s twin brother Aemon took up Blackfyre, he was slain as well.

The size of the armies participating in the Battle of the Redgrass Field is not known; However, ten thousand men died, and many more were maimed and wounded.

Many widely believed that the fate of the realm hung in the balance at Redgrass Field, and had Daemon won that battle he would probably have gone on to take King's Landing and win the entire war. However the Blackfyres lost and Daemons sons and their core supporters fled Westeros to Tyrosh, In the Kingdom of the Three Daughters, and vowed to return and win the throne they deemed rightfully theirs.

Chapter 12: The Second Bloom

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The end of the Blackfyre rebellion marked a new era in Westerosi history. While previously the Realm had been governed by Kings whose authority was absolute and who were above the Game of Thrones now the dragons had been brought down to the ground. King Daeron and his decedents now had to deal with a line of pretenders and worse they could not guarantee the support of their vassals.

Furthermore this era was also marked by the Gardners and hence the Reach isolating themselves from the Royal Court though they maintained some presence of course. Lord Garth it seemed, cared little for what was beyond his garden and spent the reigns of Kings Daeron II, Aerys and Maekar tending to it, content to let the Reach sit out of the second and third Blackfyre rebellions though unlike the first on the other two were much smaller and easily dealt with.

After ruling for many year though Lord Garth died peacefully in his sleep on the 5th day of 231 AC as a content and happy man. His rule had brought great prosperity to the Reach and had despite their lack of standing in the royal court made themselves felt throughout Westeros via their coin which in the summer years could match if not, as some steward and Gardners boasted, surpass that of House Lannister.

He was succeeded by his son Dominic who helped suppress the Peake rebellion in 233 AC, personally leading the charge at Starpike and decreed the ending of the Peake line sending its sons to the wall and the daughters to the silent sisters in order to set an example of what would happen to Reachmen who disobeyed Highgarden. Unfortunately the storming of Starpike led to the deaths of King Maekar as well as other important Lord's leading to the Great council of 233 AC.

Dominic represented House Gardner at the Great council along with his heir Luther and led the charge to deny Prince Aegon, youngest son of Maekar, the crown. For Lord Dominic felt that a man who had lived half his life as the squire to a hedge knight was simply unfit to be king. As such Lord Dominic offered his support as well as that of other lords to Prince Aemon, Aegon's elder brother whose claim was questioned due to his status as a Maester, promising that House Gardner would ensure that the Citadel would not be a problem if he wished to take the throne. Prince Aemon refused however and in the end Prince Aegon ascended to the throne as Aegon V also known as Aegon the Unlikely as he was the fourth son of a fourth son.

Dominic died the next year in 234 AC of a winter fever. His son and heir Luther succeeded him. Luther known as Luther the Defiant did not like Aegon V at all and mistrusted both him and his wife, Betha Blackwood, who he felt was too clever by half. As such Luther began to make plans and gather support. Chief amongst these plans was to establish marriage alliance with as many of the Major lords as he could, betrothing his niece to the Red Lion Lord Roger Reyne and his youngest son to Lady Yronwood. To ensure support from the Reach lords he married his eldest daughter to Lord Hightowers Heir and betroth his own heir to Lord Rowans daughter. This meant that once Aegon V tried to enact reforms in order to give the peasants more rights and protections he was met with a fierce and united opposition.

House Gardner also used this time to expand the earlier town now city of Highgarden, they built up Seagarden and Northgarden from Keeps to anchors of proper towns and trading centers and began a 5 decade long construction of the Highgarden Bridge the longest Bridge in all of Westeros. It was also in the reign of Lord Luther that Highgarden began building Roads in the Braavosi style in the Reach paving first the Garden Road and then the rest, these would greatly reduce the time taken to travel through the Reach.

Learning the lessons from the reign of King Baelor House Gardner would also utilize the reigns of King Aerys and Maekar to weaken House Gardners traditional rivals House Hightower but that is more a part of the story of House Targaryen, lets see what they were doing while the gardens bloomed in the reach.

Chapter 13: From Blackfyre to Wildfyre

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While House Gardner was able to concentrate on building their lands, House Targaryen tried doing the same though with some less success as they dealt with more distractions particularly with the Second, Third and Fourth Blackfyre rebellions . One of the key impacts of the Blackfyre rebellion had been to highlight to the Crown its own weakness, for the small strip of land that was the Crownlands meant that House Targaryen now that it was without dragons simply did not possess the power which had won it Westeros. The Crown needed to get much stronger if House Targaryen did not want to become dangerously reliant on their vassals

Under Aerys I the Great Sept of Baelor had finally been completed after 40 Years as the largest Sept not just in Kings Landing but also Westeros, and while King Jaehaerys Sept remained the Official Seat of the First Septon of Kings Landing, in practice the First Septon who by now was also the High Septon by tradition used the more grander Great Sept of Baelor along with its large complex on Rhaenys Hill. This became the most well known seat of the High Septon and would be considered the true center of the Faith of the Seven.

Almost immediately King Aerys began using the gold which was previously spent on building the Great Sept to renovate the Dragons Pit, but instead of storing dragons it would store books, for the dragon pit would by Royal Decree be the home of the new Royal Citadel. This was a profound moment in the history of Westeros, though compared to the Great Sept a much less drain on coffers, for not only would the Oldtown Citadel pay for much of the costs, along with the Gold from other benefactors relieving the crown of much og the burden the building of the new citadel was simply not that expensive for it was not a single large building like the Dragon Pit, rather a collection of regular buildings, halls and manses, which were built into the old structure, in many cases using stone, brick, metal and glass salvaged from the ruins, further reducing costs. The decree establishing the Royal Citadel was one of the crowning political achievements of House Gardner who despite its small presence in court had conceived and communicated the idea to then second Prince Aerys who was known for his love of books, and as promised House Gardner gave significant gold to the endeavor. This was done in order to, in the long run, weaken the Hightowers by robbing them of the power they had by controlling the Citadel and to secure Gardner preeminence in the Reach.

However this was not all, King Aerys also began the planning for the Black Keep in Southern Kings landing to make the city harder to take and also allowed House Velaryon of Kings Landing to open the Velaryon Bank in order to allow the city to better compete with Highgarden and Oldtown whose banks helped make them more attractive centers of trade.

King Aerys reign would see rebellion both from the Blackfyres and from the Ironborn. But these were put down quickly.

After the Death of King Aerys and under the Reign of King Maekar many of these plans would actually come true. The King would also begin work on the Kings Landing Bridge or the King Maekar Bridge. The king would begin to rebuild the sewers, getting rid of some of the stench, build new canals including Braavosi style aqueducts to bring fresh water to the city and also built new fountains and squares for the smallfolk winning the Crown much acclaim. In the end however, King Maekar would die in the Peake Rebellion leading to his fourth son Aegon becoming King.

Aegon the Fifth’s reign was stable but not peaceful. While he had three sons and two daughters to secure his line as well as wise lords attending to his offices there were continuous disputes between the nobility and crown over the rights and powers of the lords over the smallfolk which Aegon wished to change. This caused a continuous stream of minor rebellions throughout Westeros. Also was the problem of Lord Tytos Lannister dragging House Lannister through muck and to ruin with his folly, requiring multiple interventions in the Westerlands by the Crown diverting time and treasure from the Kings own plans. Furthermore the Blackfyre’s had proven they still were a threat even if the fourth Blackfyre rebellion which occurred in 236 AC had been crushed both swiftly and easily.

King Aegon the Vth continued with his Fathers and Uncles plans with the King Landing Bridge, Royal Citadel and the various sewer works being completed in this first decade as king, with the Black Keep being completed in the second. King Aegon the Unlikely also began his own works, Including the Kings Landing Godwoods with real Weirwood trees, The beginning of Kings Aegons Lighthouse, the second tallest lighthouse after the Hightower of Oldtown which would be completed in the reign of his grandson King Aerys II.

The king would also copy Valyria and Volantis and build a large market in what was earlier a slum of Kings Landing in the Valyrian Style. The new market building was as tall as any noble Keep and allowed for 3 levels of shops which could be accessed by a central hallway. Pulleys and loading platforms which would do any dock proud would quickly move material each morning to help keep it all well stocked. He would also build next to the market a large arena and build many supporting buildings and halls. The Kings Landing Arena Or King Aegon's Arena as the whole complex was called would become the home for most of the the Royal Tourneys held henceforth.

The King would also work with the High Septon (though he would give said High Septon no choice in the matter) to establish Saint Aegon the Conquerors Hospital, a large complex of healing which not only trained healers but provided a large number of services to the sick of the city. Its large complex which stands to this day (though heavily modernized) is the oldest hospital as we recognize the term and has been a pioneer in the field of healing. It was and still is funded by the faith of the seven though even till this day the Crown also contributes to the running of the facility.

However while the King found great success in his endeavors in Kings Landing he was much less successful in his reforms. Although the smallfolk loved Aegon for his reforms and granting of rights and protections, the high lords felt their powers over peasantry was diminished and curtailed by these new reforms. Lacking the dragons controlled by early Targaryen kings, Aegon V reluctantly compromised with the recalcitrant lords on several issues. To overcome this opposition and secure his own base of support to push his reforms through, King Aegon V began securing betrothals for his children. Seeing how a wide range of marriage alliances had benefited his nobles the king tried to replicate this strategy for his own needs. This turned out to be a success, at least at the start . After intense negotiations and many compromises on both sides, marriages were secured between the crown and Highgarden as well as the Arbor, Storm's End and Riverrun. For the prestige and advantages offered were hard to ignore, even by houses who had earlier opposed the kings reforms.

With the betrothals arranged by 237 AC It seemed after many tumultuous years the reign of King Aegon V would finally be secure and peaceful. However it was not to be, and these betrothals came to haunt the royal family for the royal children had inherited the Kings willfulness and their mother's stubbornness and therefore refused to go through with their parents plans.

Beginning in 239 AC, Prince Duncan, the eldest son and heir of King Aegon V, fell in love with and eventually wed the mysterious Jenny of Oldstones. King Aegon, the small council, the Grand Maester, and the High Septon forced Duncan to choose between the peasant girl or the Iron Throne. The prince choose his wife and abdicated as Prince of Dragonstone, making his younger brother, Prince Jaehaerys, the new heir. With Duncan refusing to marry the daughter of Lord Baratheon, Storm's End briefly rose in rebellion for Lord Lyonel could not accept the slight the prince had paid his daughter by setting her aside for a peasant. This rebellion was short and bloody and which ended when Ser Duncan the Tall of the Kingsguard forced Lord Lyonel to yield during trial by combat. King Aegon pardoned Lyonel and betrothed his daughter, Princess Rhaelle, to Lyonel's heir, Ormund. Aegon sent Rhaelle to Storm's End as Lyonel's cupbearer and companion to his wife.

Further trouble came in 240 AC. While King Aegon V had disliked incest his son Prince Jaehaerys, who was now crown prince and Betroth to Lord Tully’s Daughter, felt otherwise. Prince Jaehaerys and his sister Princess Shaera, who was betrothed to Lord Gardners Heir , secretly desired each other from a young age. With Duncan marrying Jenny as precedent, Jaehaerys and Shaera secretly wed and consummated their marriage in 240 AC, leaving Aegon to deal with the anger of Houses Tully and Gardner, leading to the possibility of a rebellion by the Reach and Riverland's which could potentially end the Targaryen Dynasty. However the troubles did not end there and six years later, though betrothed for nine years to Lady Olenna Redwyne, Prince Daeron broke his betrothal in 246 AC when he was eighteen years old. Daeron remained unwed, instead preferring the companionship of Ser Jeremy Norridge, in the end Daeron and Jeremy both died in 251 AC crushing a rebellion in the Dornish marches.

All these broken betrothals made Aegon V even more unpopular amongst the lords than before and in an ironic twist made the bonds between nobles even stronger. Lady Olenna Redwyne was married to Mason Gardener, Heir to the reach while Lord Tully’s daughter married Lord Mallister’s son. After these betrothals there were no more attempts by Aegon to reform the seven kingdoms for he knew to do so would unleash a rebellion he could not crush.

This realization and defeat made Aegon V a bitter man who spent his days dreaming about dragons, convinced that in order to carry out reforms he must bring back dragons to this world. This interest quickly devolved into an overwhelming obsession when news came of the Band of Nine, nine pirate lords and sell swords who had allied themselves with Maelys Blackfyre in order to take the throne. Convinced that he needed dragons Aegon V gathered with his court at Summerhall, the retreat King Daeron II had built all those years ago for his wife, in the summer of 259 AC. There he tried to hatch dragon eggs but failed in a disastrous manner when the flames grew out of control, killing the king and many of those closest to him. While his heir Jaehaerys and his family survived, the events of Summerhall, now known as the Tragedy at Summerhall, cast a long shadow on the Targaryens for years to come.

Despite so many people dying, the now King Jaehaerys II and his counselors had little time to grieve. For reports soon came that the Band of nine had used internal disputes in the Kingdom of the Three Daughters to their own advantage, seizing the city of Tyrosh along with parts of the Stepstones and parts of the prosperous lands. Knowing that their next attack would be on the seven kingdoms themselves, King Jaehaerys launched the Third War of the Stepstones, or as singers called it the War of the Ninepenny Kings.

For the First time since Aegon’s Conquest of Westeros the call to the regional Wardens were sent, an event which led to some surprising outcomes. First was that the North had after some two and a half centuries of isolation sent men down the Neck. This was of great surprise to the King and realm for outside of checking if the annual tribute was sent the Crown paid no heed to the North. Further while all parts of the Realm had been doing an increasing number of trade with the north which despite being a savage and poor wasteland was known for its wool, the nobles had no connection with the north for neither were there Northmen present in court nor did they marry in the south, nor did they foster, nor participate in tourneys, nor come for pilgrimages to the Great Septs, nor were they present in the offices of the crown. Indeed in his 2 and a half decade reign King Aegon the Vth had only met his northern lords once when a party of Northmen came to pay homage to the king 3 years after his coronation. Led by the then heir Lord Edwyle the only notable thing about that was its introduction of the northern drink Brandy to the south. Relatively new, with the first caskets being brewed by crannogmen during Lord Joels reign it was made from winter grape wine, and it became very popular with the southern nobility though it was denounced as "heretical" and "ungodly" by many Septon who it should be noted were otherwise very happy to use northern wool in their cloths.

Now however Lord Rickard, son and heir of Lord Edwyle Stark as well as 10,000 Northmen soon arrived on a fleet of Manderly and Saltstark ships leading to some of the first proper and non ceremonial interaction between northern and southern lords since the early reign of Jaehaerys the first.It was for many southern lords quite an experience as they had only the myths of the Faith guiding them, but instead of monsters they found gruff but otherwise straightforward men and Nobles who while spoke in a way somewhat funny to southerns were perfectly conversational in Royal Andal though amongst themselves they spoke in Winterfell Old tongue or Winterfell First tongue the main language of the Winterlands and the Lingua franca of the North, though knowledge of Royal Andal was also prized as it had established itself ,along with the language of the courts and nobility, as the language of Westerosi trade as well

Also of great note was that the Iron Islands had sent its fleets to show their loyalty. The Iron islands had many of restrictions, such as limits on the wood trade, placed on them by the Crown. After the first wave which was imposed by Queen Helena during the Dance of the Dragons were gradually dismantled the Iron Islands once again found itself sanction by the Crown after the reaving they did in the First Blackfyre rebellion. Unfortunately for the Ironborn these had never been removed due to the Faith, Westerland, Riverlands and Reach not wanting a repeat of the past and as such Lord Quellon the reformist Lord of the Iron Islands led over a 100 longships to Narrow Sea hoping to end the restrictions.

The war lasted just 5 moons but took a heavy toll with Hand of the King Ormund Baratheon, Ser Jason Lannister among many others perishing. The war finally ended when Ser Barristan Selmy, Also known as Ser Barristan the Bold cut through the lines of the golden company and slew Maelys Blackfyre in single combat, effectively ending the threat to the Targaryens due to the fact that only Maelys Blackfyre had any interest in or claims to the Iron throne. After this the Ninepenny kings withdrew from the Stepstones which were restored to their previous rulers under the iron throne. It would take a year more but soon Tyrosh would also be restored to normal as a part of the Kingdom of the Three Daughters.

The war of the Ninepenny kings was as with many previous wars a dual victory and loss for the Targaryens, for while they kept their throne, once again their dependence on the Great Houses became apparent. This in turn would contribute greatly to the politics of the Seven kingdoms for years to come. A much more immediate consequence of the war however was felt in the Westerlands.

Lord Tytos Lannister was incompetent to say the least, under him House Lannister had become a laughing stock. Weak and ineffective it was unable to exercises any true authority or command any respect in the Westerlands. However despite this Lord Jason Lannister, younger brother of Lord Tytos had been able to maintain order and kept the western lords in line. However with his death in the war of the Ninepenny kings, the situation quickly spiraled out of control as the Reynes and Tarbecks began asserting more and more autonomy.

When Tytos’ son Tywin returned from the war he realized just how his house was truly perceived and how weak they had become under his father. The war allowed Tywin to see that under his father House Lannister was barely able to hold on to its power and prestige.

Always a proud man Tywin wished to restore House Lannister to its previous and his mind rightful position and so once he returned to Casterly Rock he began his campaign . In 260AC He first sent his brother Kevin along with 500 soldiers to all the houses and merchants which owed the Lannister's money but never bothered to repay, demanding that they either settle their debts or give up a hostage. While some such as Ser Harys Swyft agreed to surrender hostages, others like Lord Roger Reyne advised their friends and vassals to do nothing. Lord Walderan Tarbeck decided to try and convince Lord Tytos to rescind Tywin's edicts, but Tywin had him imprisoned when he came to Casterly Rock before he could even meet Lord Tytos. In return, Ellyn Tarbeck, sister of Lord Reyne seized three Lannister’sincluding Stafford Lannister the brother of Joanna Lannister who was then betrothed to Tywin, and threatened to kill them if her husband was not returned. Tytos ignoring Tywin's protests returned Lord Walderan unharmed and forgave the Tarbeck debt to House Lannister.

The next year in 261 AC lord Tywin sent letters to both the Tarbecks and the Reynes demanding they come to Casterly Rock to answer for their crimes. As he had expected, Lord Roger Reyne, as well Lord and Lady Tarbeck, rose in rebellion, renouncing their fealty to Casterly Rock rather than submit.

Tywin then immediately marched against the upstart vassals with three thousand men-at-arms and crossbowmen as well as five hundred knights, the host was joined on the march by troops from House Marbrand and House Prester, as well as a dozen lesser lords. Meanwhile word of the rebellion spread beyond the Westerlands into the Reach where Lord Luther quickly began assemble his own armies and with his two squires, his son and heir Mason as well as his nephew Ronnel Reyne the youngest son of lord Roger, got ready to set out for the Westerlands by marching up the Ocean Road but by the time the men were ready the results were already known.

In the Westerlands because the Lannister’s were already prepared they arrived at Tarbeck Hall so suddenly that Lord Tarbeck had no time to rally his banners. As such, he met the Lannister host in battle with only his household knights. A short bloody battle ensued in which the Tarbecks were butchered. When they were captured Lord Walderan expected them to be ransomed, however they were all executed on Tywin’s orders. The heads of Walderan and his sons were impaled on spears, and led the march onto Tarbeck Hall.

At Tarbeck Hall, Lady Ellyn expected a long siege and sent ravens to Castamere, asking her brothers for help. Tywin however had siege engines prepared in less than a day, bringing down the aged castle walls down upon Ellyn and her only remaining son Tion. All resistance ended and the gates were thrown open. Tywin commanded the castle be put to the torch. For a day and night the flames burned until nothing was left of Tarbeck Hall except a blackened empty shell.

When lord Roger Reyne of Castamere arrived with two thousand hastily-gathered men, against the advice of his wife Alicent of House Gardner who wished to make peace, he witnessed Tarbeck Hall aflame. Roger led his tired men in a charge against the Lannister host, taking them by surprise. Nonetheless, the Lannister host recovered, and Lord Roger, heavily outnumbered, was forced to flee.

The Reynes then took refuge at Castamere, their subterranean seat which had developed from gold and silver mines. Knowing the Lannister’s had more men, Lord Reyne led all his men down into the mines. Ser Tywin Lannister arrived at Castamere three days after the burning of Tarbeck Hall. When his people were all inside, Lord Reyne sent terms for surrender to Tywin, stating that the Reynes would be loyal vassals in return for Tywin's brothers serving within Castamere as hostages. Lady Alicent also sent secret terms separately, she had the youngest son of one of her maids snuck out of Castamere by her guards, in which she pleaded for mercy pledging to have her husband bend the knee if only Lord Tywin gave her time.

Tywin ignored the terms of both the Reynes for he had already decided to make an example of the House. Instead, he ordered his men to seal the mine entrances with pick and shovel. All entrances were blocked with tons of stone, earth, and soil so that there was no way in or out. Over the course of three days, Tywin had his men dam a nearby stream and divert it to the mine entrance. Water easily found its way through the tiny gaps in the rubble that blocked the mouth of the entrance. None of the three hundred men, women, and children within emerged from the tunnels. Lannister men stationed at the most distant entrances claimed they could hear faint screaming and shouting, but by daybreak, there was nothing but silence.

However Tywin did not get much time to enjoy his victory for less than 2 moon after he returned to the rock Tywin was forced to call his banners and march south where House Gardner had assembled a host of 80,000 men. Though luckily for all Lord Tywin allowed for diplomacy ,rather than as some more rash lords might have, simply begin fighting. At first Tywin demanded that the young Ronnel Reyne be put to death due to the actions of his Father and other family, however this was rejected immediately by Lord Luther who while acknowledging the sins of his Kin had no intention of failing his sister by letting her only surviving child die . Knowing that he may very well lose a resulting war for the Gardners outnumbered the Lannister Host and that House Lannister's grip on the Westerlands was still weak due to his fathers misrule Lord Tywin reluctantly agreed to parlay.

In the end Ronnel was allowed to keep Castamere but he and his heir would have to marry a Lannister of Lannisport, furthermore Ronnel’s heir would serve as Tywin’s foster son in the future, with the fostering only ending once he had been married. This incident led to a bitter break in the relations between the Westerlands and the Reach, Tywin and his children would throughout their lives heavily mistrust any Reachmen and would fight Gardner Influence wherever they found it. This also caused significant problems for the Gardners as just a year later as King Jaehaerys II died, leading to his son ascending as King Aerys the Second. This was as Lord Tywin was made Hand of the King a position which he used to limit Gardner influence.

At first King Aerys II rule was a blessing for the realm, with the end of the Blackfyre threat and capable rule by Tywin Lannister the realm soon prospered, much of the tensions and bitterness were forgotten especially as the Hand Lord Tywin began repealing many of the laws passed by Aegon V, restoring relations between the Iron Throne and the Nobility. Lord Tywin also greatly improved the crowns coffers. While King Jaehaerys II and Aegon V were not wasteful, the war as well as the large public works they undertook had required debt. By repealing Aegon V's laws Tywin was also able to repeal many of the related concessions growing revenue without raising taxes on all.

Tywin also bought out the crowns debts from its many creditors, consolidating it under the control of Casterly Rock and charged the Crown a much lower rate of Interest allowing the Crown to not just manage but also reduce its debts. Of course this also allowed House Lannister to gain a secure income for its gold which earlier was simply sitting in vaults and with Tywin as Lord Hand they were in no danger of defaults.

Also Aerys II while not especially intelligent or competent was charming and in his early reign held many balls and banquets, inviting nobles to the Red Keep and began charming them, gaining their support. However while Aerys II soon got bored of ruling and began spending more time with his many mistresses, Tywin continued his duties loyally and ably. He first won the support of the wealthy merchants by reducing tariffs on shipping to Oldtown, Lannisport and King's Landing, which increased trade. He also sternly punished any baker caught mixing sawdust with bread or any butcher selling horsemeat as beef.

Tywin also funded the building of new roads and repaired old ones. The most prominent of these being the Eagles road which connected Riverrun to Seaguard via Raventree Hall and the greatly expanded Dornish roads which while earlier just connected Nightsong to Yronwood, now extended south to Starfall and west to Sunspear, and the Planky town, giving Tywin much love and support from the Riverland's and Dorne, Tywin also held tournaments about the realm to the delight of knights and smallfolk both.

This is not to say Tywin neglected the Westerlands, he left the administration of those lands in the hand of his brother Kevin who proved himself more than capable. Kevin ran the Westerlands and was the one who would reestablish Lannister control over their bannermen ,under Tywins direction of course, recollecting all the debts they were owed, removing incompetent officials and repairing the damage they caused. Kevin Lannister ,also with Tywins approval, opened the Bank of Lannisport which was the 7th bank to open in the 7 kingdoms after the Banks of Highgarden, Winterfell, Oldtown, Velaryon, Blackwood and Moon respectively. The Lannisters also copied the Gardners and began building Braavosi style roads in the Westerlands.

As the first decade of King Aerys II came to a close Tywin's reputation became so well-known and so widely respected that it became common to sayit was Tywin, not Aerys, who truly ruled the realm. All this however caused tension between Aerys and Tywin, for Aerys felt that Tywin, Aerys’ servant, was overstepping his bounds and trying to surpass the king. However despite this the friendship between Aerys II and Tywin continued, this was especially true when Steffon Baratheon, their childhood friend and Aerys II’s cousin, came to the red keep in 270 AC to take his position as master of ships.

In 271 Ronnel Reyne married Matilda Lannister of Lannisport, and took his place as Lord of Castamere, which after extensive work and restorations was once again producing great amounts of gold and silver from its now restored mines, gold and silver necessary to pay off the debts they had accumulated to the Bank of Highgarden though they had borrowed the money on relatively generous terms. This marriage which was meant to secure House Lannister and end old tensions instead flared hostility between Houses Lannister and Gardner as the bitterness of House Gardners intervention in the matters of the Westerlands resurfaced. Aerys II who once again had become bitter towards Tywin, especially with those who were either jealous of or rivals with Tywin fanning such bitterness, favored House Gardener and as such blocked many of Tywin’s attempt to use his powers as hand to reduce Gardener Influence.

As the years progressed Aerys II got more bitter and paranoid. Finally in an infamous tale which exemplified the King's behavior it is said that when Joanna Lannister died in childbirth in early 272 AC, Aerys remarked that Joanna had died, and Tywin had gotten his dwarf son instead from the gods, "to teach him some humility at last". When word reached Casterly Rock, where Tywin was in mourning, the friendship between the two men ended for good despite Tywin continuing on as hand. This cruelty would greatly cost the Targaryens in years to come.

Aerys briefly became better, resembling his older self in latter part of 272 AC with the birth of Prince Jaehaerys, however when he died less than six months later Aerys truly became mad having the boys wet nurse beheaded, convinced it had been her fault. He soon though declared that his mistress was to blame, and had her and her entire family tortured and eventually executed. Aerys at this time also sacked his cousin Steffon and sent him back to Storm's End. All this erratic behavior concerned the realm greatly and it was at this time that the very first whispers of the mad king were heard.

The Year 274 AC was marked by both the death Lord Luther Gardner as well as the birth of Prince Viserys. As such to both welcome the Prince and to restore some joy to Highgarden Lord Mason Gardener announced a large tourney was to be held. The tourney was attended by all the major lords of Westeros south of the neck with even the Harlaws of the Iron Islands, one of the principal houses of the Iron Islands and some of their vassals in attendance, though their overlords House Greyjoy were absent. It was here, during the opening ball that Lady Cersei Lannister daughter of Tywin met Prince Rhaegar and soon the two could be seen together every day of the tourney. At the end of the festivities Tywin approached Aerys II and proposed the marriage of Cersei and Rhaegar However, Aerys' fear of Tywin's power and ambition led him to reject the offer, stating that Tywin was his servant, and no servant's daughter was fit to marry a Dragon prince. An insult which they say Tywin never forgot.

The next year in 275AC the Defiance of Duskendale occurred, an event which would see the destiny of the realm forever changed. During the six months while the king was held captive the whole realm held its breath only relaxing when word came of Ser Barristan the Bolds daring rescue of the king. After the King was rescued it became apparent that he truly had gone mad. For while most believed that once he had calmed down and House Darklyn and Hollard executed, he did not rather Aerys II became more and more paranoid.

Aerys II refused to leave the Red Keep for the next four years for his own safety and no longer trusted his wife or his heir. In his paranoia, Aerys believed that Tywin and Rhaegar had conspired to have him killed at Duskendale, so Rhaegar would ascend the Iron Throne and marry Tywin's daughter. To prevent this, Aerys summoned Lord Baratheon to court and announced that he would go to Volantis, to find a bride for Rhaegar of pure Valyrian ancestry and of good and noble birth, for there were no Valyrian brides in Westeros good enough for the Crown Prince.

House Celtigar and House Velaryon of Driftmark had provided no daughters in the main line. And while House Velaryon of Kings Landing had a daughter in Lady Daenaera Velaryon though who had not yet flowered, they were deemed to be too low in status with them being viewed as little better than merchants by the King and the wider nobility. This was due to their focus on trade, for unlike the "merchant" houses such as House Hightower which simply profited from trade House Velaryon of King Landing practiced it, its sons, not just lesser cousins or the cadet branches but the sons of the mainline itself undertook trade missions, whether to the well trafficked Pentos and Myr and Volantis none of which had the prestige of the far east, the Lord and Heir Velaryon of Kings Landing themselves bargained over simple goods such as soap, grain and cloth.

Further their sons actually ran Bank Velaryon haggling with any merchant who walked into its door over appropriate late fees and conversion rate of the repayment (for they unlike the Banks of Winterfell, Blackwood and the Moon the Velaryon Bank could not simply charge interest openly due to the Faith of the Sevens ban on usury requiring workarounds) and perhaps the most damming of them all for the nobility their practice of marrying the daughters of merchants.

However despite these truths, marrying Rhaegar to Daenaera Velaryon would have been a wise choice for not only was she of strong Valyrian heritage with a mother and grandmother from the Black Walls of Volantis (though of merchant and non-noble stock), but also due to the fact that by controlling the Velaryon Bank and Velaryon Trading Company, House Velaryon of Kings Landing were one of the richest Houses in Westeros with influence not only in the capital city but also across the Narrow and Summer sea, especially in Volantis. Alas it was not to be and because of this Lady Daenaera would become known as the Queen who never was.

Fate had other plans than the kings however and Lord Steffon's mission turned out to be a failure. On the return voyage his ship was caught in a storm and sank, just off the coast of Storm's End, in sight of his two eldest children, Robert and Stannis. King Aerys then began believing that Tywin had somehow assassinated Lord Steffon. Now fearing that he could not dismiss Tywin as Hand since Tywin would have him killed, Aerys refused to meet with Lord Tywin unless all of the Kingsguard were present. With his paranoia and madness getting worse, Aerys heard of eunuch named Varys who over Tywin's protests was appointed as Aerys' master of whisperers on the small council.

Aerys also used Rhaegar's marriage to weaken his heir and as such secure his own grip on the throne. In early 277 AC, Prince Rhaegar was wed to Princess Elia of Dorne at the Great Sept of Baelor. This was done as Aerys II knew that Dorne was rather weak outside its own borders and as such would give Rhaegar little power and support if he tried to usurp the throne. The birth of Princess Rhaenys, Aerys first grandchild, later that year did not reconcile the estranged father and son. Rather her birth showed that the realm was clearly split into rival camps. This split had echoes of the reign of Aegon the Unworthy, as supporters of the king saw another attempt by the dornish to install a puppet on the throne with a child who looked more Rhoynar than Valyrian while prince rhaegar’s faction saw a strong and wise ruler who would mend the realm being ruined by an awful king.

The divisions were deepened when Aerys started using wildfire for executions horrifying the realm. The pyromancers who most avoided became a fixture at the king's court and the Pyromancer Rossart, who carried out the executions, was eventually named to the small council. All this caused many in the Seven kingdom who were able to see the signs to begin making preparations for a possible war, chief amongst them were the Gardners, Lannisters and the Ironborn.

Further tensions and cracks appeared when Aerys decided to appoint Lord Jaime Lannister, Tywin’s son and heir to the Kingsguard, this was done to hold Jaime hostage for his father's loyalty. Upon hearing this Tywin resigned his position as Hand and returned to Casterly Rock. Aerys pleased by his “victory” then appointed Owen Merryweather as his Hand. With Tywin “defeated” Aerys turned his attention to Prince Rhaegar whom he mistrusted more each day.

During this time the royal court was completely and utterly divided between those who supported the king and those who supported the prince. Many including Grand Maester Pycelle wrote that the tensions and division at court strongly resembled those before the Dance of the Dragons, and more soon became fearful of a civil war between the king and the prince was imminent.

Luckily the realm was distracted from its troubles by Lord Walter Whent who announced that a tourney was be held at Harrenhal in 278 AC. And so the tensions were forgotten as the nobles prepared for a break from court, too busy preparing dresses and armour, choosing potential matches etc. Few knew or could imagine what lay in front of them.

Chapter 14: The Long Peace of the North

Chapter Text

After the Riverlands and Storm's End had fallen under the control of Aegon the Conqueror, King Torrhen called his banners. He was aware that, due to the vast distance of the north, it would take a long time to assemble his army. After the Field of Fire, when Torrhen reached the banks of the Trident, he found a host of forty-five thousand men and three dragons waiting for him, even without the dragons the Targaryen Host was three times the size of the North's host.

Torrhen's scouts had reported seeing the ruins of Harrenhal, and the King had heard accounts of the Field of Fire as well. Some of Torrhen's lords urged him to attack, but he realized that a similar fate would await him if he tried to force a crossing. Other lords urged the King of the North to fall back to Moat Cailin and make his stand there. Torrhen's bastard half-brother, Brandon Snow, offered to cross the Trident at dark to kill the dragons even at the cost of his own life.

In the end, Torrhen sent Brandon Snow to Aegon's camp, not with arrows but with three maesters and three green men, to treat with Aegon. Messages went back and forth that night, and the next morning, Torrhen crossed the Trident, knelt and laid his crown at the feet of Aegon I Targaryen, and swore fealty. For his surrender, he was named the Lord Paramount of the North, Grand Duke of the Winterlands, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North.

After Torrhen Stark surrendered the crown of his ancestors to Aegon the Conqueror, he was a broken man. It is said that he did not smile or laugh, and his wife Lyanna had to force him to leave his bed in the mornings. Later, once he died, the first four years he spent as Lord Paramount of the North would be known as The Shameful Years. The Shameful Years ended however when his brother Brandon Snow, returned.

Brandon had been wroth when his brother surrendered their House's crown without a fight and had left for Essos within the next moon. Brandon left because, as he told Grand duch*ess Lyanna, “I can’t and wont be a Kinslayer so I must leave”. Because of this Brandon’s return was a welcome surprise and a grand feast was held in his honor, however Brandon was not interested in feasts and as soon it was polite he dragged Torrhen to his solar.

The words spoken in the solar have been lost to time, but we do know that the very next day Brandon left with more than half of House Starks wealth to White harbor with Grand Duke Torrhen sending ravens to Duke Manderly demanding that he prepare his fleet.

As rumors spread many wondered just what Brandon Snow was up to, some believed he had threatened to rebel and was paid off, others that he would pay a faceless man to kill Aegon. This particular rumor was credible enough that Torrhen had to send many letters to Aegon to assure him of loyalty. Though despite what some northern lords bitter over the conquest hoped, torrhen would not have Aegon murdered knowing that to do so would risk his entire line, rather what he had done was to take a great gamble.

His brother Brandon in his many journeys had found his way to the Island of Ib in the Shivering Sea, where in the port of Ib he saw a heard of great furry beasts. On inquiry it turned out that these animals were a type of cow native to Ib, called creatively the Ibbenese cow. Brandon then found a unusually talkative Ibbenese Shepard and over many drinks Brandon was able to learn about how the cows could survive the coldest of winters without any problems. Over the next sennight Brandon continued learning about the cow in more detail, what type of food they need, how to make sure they make it through winters when snow covers the land etc. By the end of this exercise Brandon knew in his bones that the North could prosper greatly with this cow, they had endless empty lands which would make perfect pastures and unlike other animals which the north imported from the south in the past, these wouldn’t die when the winds blow cold.

Further House Stark which was constantly short on labor to till its farms could more easily ,he hoped, replace men with beasts. As such knowing he had no time to waste Brandon made his way to Braavos and from there to the North, once he reached Winterfell convincing his brother was rather easy for Torrhen was so relieved to have Brandon back he would likely have given Winterfell away if asked to do so at that time. And so as the first ships from Ib arrived with their large flocks of cows and some Sheppard's looking to start new lives, it was that five years after the Torrhen’s surrender that the North once again had its destiny transformed by a single man with a new animal from Essos.

Only this time it was for the better.

The cows as Brandon predicted thrived in the north. To ensure that they would not die out Grand Duke Torrhen declared that they would not be slaughtered until their numbers had grown large enough. However knowing that taking care of the herds would cost money torrhen decided to begin using these animals for milk, butter and cheese as well as draught animals . To encourage their use and to reduce his own burden he also began distributing them to the smallfolk living on the Winterlands, the ancestral lands of House Stark, for free to use as household animals. However no one could predict just how rapidly the cows numbers would grow and soon they were numerous enough to be used for meat.

This transformed the north which now had a food source which was cheap, plentiful and relatively easy to obtain, furthermore one could transport cows to various parts of the north much more easily than grain when factoring in the then lack of proper roads. Soon what earlier was considered to be large tracts of wastelands became new pastures. With the dragons securing their borders and north unified and under their rule the wolves now devoted their whole attention to the prosperity of the north which for the first time was free from the crusades and invasions of southern septons and kings, the westerly reaving of the Ironborn and the constant infighting in the eastern Neck and the Bite as the Starks and Arryn continued to write new sequels to the 1000 years war in blood.

Torrhen also began discouraging marriage and other such engagements with the south despite Queen Rhaenys orders , wanting to keep his lords attention on their own lands though he would not need much help in this regard. At this point many regarded Torrhen as weak and mad. Weak for giving up his Crown without a fight and mad for gambling so much of his Houses wealth on this unknown magical cow and the word of his bastard. With many lords focusing solely on their ties in the North, believing that they would soon be picking up the pieces of a shattered House Stark post winter and thus would need strong connections soon enough.

However the winter came and the cows…. Did not die, even after the harshest months the cows were fine. They simply kept growing and the Winterlands already some of the richest in the north became richer still. In 15 AC to mark the tenth year of the arrival of the Ibbenese cows, Torrhen decided to reward his brother Brandon with lands of his own, giving him an unfathomable 30 leagues of land south of the Gift, west of the line perpendicular drawn straight down from the Nightfort along with the title of Earl. While mostly empty then these lands were perfect for rearing cows, fertile, filled with lakes and streams along with endless fields of thick grass. Also the many hills in the west would be perfect for mining once food sources had been secured. These would be some of the first lands outside the Winterlands to see the Ibbenese cows.

In the span of a day Brandon went from an influential man but still a landless bastard to one of the major lords in the North. He took the name Snowstark to honour both sides of his origins, and his descendants, House Snowstark of Northfort would become one of the most powerful houses of the north, with the town of Northfort taking last hearths position of the northernmost proper town in Westeros.

Torrhen died in 34 AC and was succeeded by his son Rodrick, the third son, as his eldest and second son Brandon and Eddard had been so wroth with their fathers decision to bend the knee and to later give away their sister Sansa Stark (only protesting and not rebelling as they wanted) for marriage to Ronnel Arryn. A marriage that caused the death of her and of her son Jasper when Ronnel's brother Jonos rebelled, thus they ,similar to their uncle Brandon Snowstark, left the North rather than become Kinslayer's. They would create the Company of the Rose, which would base itself out of Braavos and would become a well know fighting force, drawing mostly from the North, though in latter centuries they would expand their recruits to being from across Westeros, particularly to the Iron Islands, which provided them with ships making the Company of the Rose the second largest and arguable the best Free company in Essos for while they did not match the raw manpower of the Golden Company they maintained their own fleets allowing them to fight on sea as well as land. Furthermore they also recruited Wargs from the north. The elephants of the company of the rose were more deadly than their golden company counterparts having the strength of elephants but the cunning of the men controlling them, being able to follow complex maneuvers and telling friend from foe without needing the guidance of the rider in the litter. The Company of the Rose and Rosetown the section of Braavos where the company maintains its headquarters and their soldier keep their permanent home and families is the location for many of the Norths second sons even till this day.

Lord Rodrick continued on his father’s legacy and ruled as he had, wisely and capably, ensuring the spread of the Ibbenese cow. It was in Rodrick’s reign that the first of the great surveys was undertaken, giving Winterfell a clearer picture of the north. Roderick also was the one who ensured that the north was not dragged into southern squabbles when the faith militant rebelled against King Aenys Targaryen. And in doing so set an iron precedent that the North was to remain at peace and focus on its own prosperity no matter what.

However despite all this Rodrick died relatively young after he caught an autumn fever, and in 47 AC his son Ellard took the Winter throne. However while Rodrick left the lordship of House stark to Ellard, in his will he also left lands to all his other sons as well for with the growing population he wished to seize the chance to put to use the vast land holding which the Starks had built for millennia but which were functionally worthless due to the lack of people to make use of the land.

To his second son John he gave Lordship of the Stony Shore which made up a huge chunk of the Norths western coast but was very lightly populated as centuries of raids from the Iron born had stripped it of inhabitant either due to them being kidnapped or killed in raid; or because the smallfolk simply leaving. John along with receiving the entire coast would also received the lower half of the Stone river valley including the lands surrounding the mouth with Winterfell retaining the rest of the land. John would rebuild the ruins of the old Frost Castle, now deemed the Stone Den. He would also rename the village there to the Stoneport and take the name of Stonestark founding House Stonestark.

His third son Eddard received the lands surrounding the mouth of the last river, a small patch in truth one which was more suited to a Baron than an Earl though such titles were abolished now, where he raised the keep of Eastfort and built the village then town of Saltport. This became the seat of House Saltstark which would build in time build the largest fishing fleet in the seven kingdoms, using their advantageous location and the cheap gold it could borrow from the bank of Winterfell to build large fishing vessels which could spend Sennights on sea allowing the north to use the bounty of the rich fisheries of the shivering sea to its fullest.

House Saltstark would also encourage the conversion of raw fish to more lucrative products and in time more fish and fish products such as dyes, sauces, oils would be sold in Eastport than any other place in the known world so the boast would go.

Finally his fourth and youngest son, Rickon Stark was to be given lands of his choice, but not in large quantity with Rickon like his elder brother receiving only a barons holding though again such title had been done away with. The reason for this disparity was that Roderick while loving his sons realized he could not keep gifting land away which is why his third and fourth sons received so little. In contrast Jon Stonestark needed larger land in order to fulfil Winterfell's plans on finally rebuilding the west coast of the north and even there less than half of House Starks holdings of the Stony Shore were given, with the lands surrounding the East and West Stone Lakes as well as the lands of the upper half of the Stony river being retained by House Stark.

Lord Rickon chose the confluence of the white knife and wolf knife rivers, taking inspiration from the keep Riverrun in the south. There he established the Riverfort and the settlement which would become the River town and took the name Whitestark for his own. Despite the small size of the town it would become a major hub for trade in time.

Because of these lordships Rodrick is known as Sirewolf in the north, being the father of 3 of the great cadet lines of House Stark. This slightly more humorous title is though overshadowed by the more well used 'Loyal Wolf'.

Lord Ellard, the first Stark to ascend to the Winter Throne with neither a royal title nor the title of Grand Duke, led a crucial time for House Stark. As Lord of Winterfell his reign is generally considered to be divided into two half, the first half which lasted about eight years is known as the Tense times while the second half is considered to be the beginning of the Northern Golden Age.

This division is due to 3 main factors. The first being that until 56 AC the north still had regular interaction with the south, with the King or Princes regularly visiting the north on their progresses with the aim of integrating the North with the Andal realms. They did not demand the North adopt the faith of the seven, at least not formally, but this was the only courtesy. King Jaehaerys was at the time building his uniform code of law, which was heavily influenced by Andal law and its proposed adoption created much tension with the north. First the North did not bind smallfolk to the land as the Andals did, all men in the North were born free including free to leave the land as there were no serfs in the lands of the First Men. This meant that large sections of the law were inapplicable. Similarly the North also did not follow the faith as such sections of the law dealing with the rights of the faith were inapplicable to the North. Even in the Whitehill and Manderly lands where followers of the seven lived, the way they practiced the Faith was greatly different to rest of the south (heretical as the Andals referred to it) and as such even there the new code would create more issues than it solved.

Other disputes with the Targaryens were worries of the Norths lingering affection for Maegor the Cruel, and Ellard and House Stark still not have forgiven House Targaryen for the Deaths of Sansa Stark and Jasper Arryn. However after 56AC these progresses stopped, or at least no longer included the North as King Jaehaerys gave up their plans to integrate the North due to the Dispute at the wall.

The dispute at the wall took place ,as the name suggests, on the wall more specifically at the Nightfort. King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne had come to the far north to oversee the works being done on the kings road which would connect Kings landing to the wall via Winterfell.

During this time Queen Alysanne had become charmed by the mission of the Nights watch and King Jaehaerys wanted to use this to send a clear and non-violent message to the north on who held the power as he had grown tired of the North constantly protesting his new Code of Laws. As such on her husband’s request Queen Alysanne declared that the land 25 Leagues south of the gift was to be donated to the Nights Watch. This immediately caused every Stark, and especially Snowstark to jump up in protest, as the northern lords expressed outrage.

It seemed that the Citadel had not told the King or the Queen of the lordships created by Torrhen and Rodrick Stark as they looked rather confused. Upon seeing the absolute vehemence of the opposition, and being informed of the reason behind it, the king and queen agreed not to go through with the plan for stripping a house of its entire holdings for no reason was not useful to the kind of reign King Jaehaerys was trying to build.

Despite this more immediate placation this act would create later a huge argument between the King and Lord Ellard later that night where the King of Westeros and Lord of Winterfell would air their respective disagreements and sources of anger. Jaehaerys would speak of his absolute frustration with the North and his desire to simply burn it down as they tried to undermine the implementation what he saw as one of the achievements of not just himself but also House Targaryen, he also openly gave voice to his anger with the Starks for standing by as his uncle killed his brothers and then bowing to the Usurper and Kinslayer. Lord Ellard on the other hand spoke of his and his peoples fear of having the "Andal Shackles" imposed on them by the king as well as his disappointment for House Targaryen failing to protect his Aunt Sansa or her son and for the fact that while House Arryn would receive a princess as recompenses House Starks loss had not even been acknowledged.

And while the words had been spoken in anger the result was anything but. Over the next week they spent at the wall a new accord was reached. The new laws would be allowed to go forward without further comment but House Stark would be given sole right on how to interpret them when considering the parts of the Code relating to serfdom and the Faith of the seven. This essentially gave House Stark the ability to negate the "Andal Shackles". King Jaehaerys also agreed to end his attempts at further integration of the North with the South.

Many Maesters would later declare this to be the main turning point which would lead to the complete political isolation of the North from the affairs of the realm. In time even when the incident was forgotten however the isolation did not end as the North wished to be left alone and the southerners, along with the Crown which was increasingly influenced by southern thought, saw the Northerners as barbarians not worth engaging with.

And so during the rule of Lord Ellard, the north in its splendid isolation began its golden age which lasted for over 200 years.

Once the Targaryens went back south, Lord Ellard returned to Winterfell and began making his own plans for the north for the plans of his grandfather and father made to spread the cow and establish stable food sources were mostly fulfilled and now the North needed a new sense of direction.

Therefore Lord Ellard first commissioned another survey this time of the Direwolf mountains. House Stark finally had the funds to hire well trained surveyors from Essos. Along with these advanced surveys House Stark finally also had men it could spare to mine more metal and food it could use to support the miners without importing it from outside the north. It was a success and 5 years after its start the surveyors would find 5 whole seams of gold. Like many of his ancestors Ellard was given the title "The Golden" as was traditional.

However unlike in the past where the seams would run out in some cases less than a decade these 5 seams would last centuries being similar in the yield and depth to those found in the Westerlands. Ellard would spend the next 2 decades of his life in establishing the gold mines, building forts and villages next to the mines to guard them. Hiring men, creating patrols, managing the gold smiths, and balancing books and paying for it all. Tragedy would strike in 84 AC when his son Brandon was killed by bandits seeking to steal gold.

In time however the gold trade from the Direwolf Mountains to the ports via ship to the Wintertown would become secure and bring great wealth to House Stark. Once fully built the 5 mines and the villages and forts needed to support them brought more gold to House Stark than the rest of the North 5 times over by Ellard's death. Ellard used this gold to fill his coffers to bursting. And once it became clear that they were not being exhausted he began making longer term plans for the north. In the last decade of his reign he would use his gold to expand the Wintertown and its port, paving all its roads with cobblestones rebuilding its sewers and begin work on a Braavosi style aqueduct to bring in fresh water to all parts of the town. Having both vision and the gold Lord Ellard's aqueduct was large enough that it would bring two Sennights worth of water in a day for the Wintertown, though in time it would prove to be inadequate to sate the entirety of the city on its own, it would remain a crucial part of the fabric of what would become the city of Winterfell.

Ellard’s reign continued until 93 AC when he died in his bed of old age and was succeeded by his grandson Benjen Stark, the only child of Brandon Stark.

Lord Benjen Stark, also known as Benjen the Merchant or the Curious Lord, was young when he became the lord of Winterfell. With the death of his father he was in truth raised more by his grandfather. But while his grandfathers eyes were focused only to the direwolf mountains ,Lord Benjen while not neglecting the source of his House's wealth was much keener on the outside world. He was much more open to new ideas and new methods than the more conservative lords of the north. Also having grown up listening to the tales of Brandon Snowstark and his travels to Ib Benjen also wished to one day go on a great adventure and end it by one day by bringing a fantastical gift to the north. However as his Father and Grandfathers only heir Lord Benjen spent a considerable portion of his life confined to Winterfell particularly due to the rule requiring a member with the blood of House Stark to remain at Winterfell. As such Benjen along with vicariously reading all the books he could get also sent stewards and adventurers to all the corners of the earth bringing to him its produce as well as stories.

Benjen also used his wealth to create the Winterlands trade networks building and repairing roads, expanding the Wintertown and sponsoring new settlements. He also lent gold to his lords at very low rates in order to help them build new markets and cheap storage in all towns or keeps of the north, allowing farmers and shepherds to store their food to sell whenever the price was favorable. Not only did this help stabilize the price of goods, moderating them from extremes, it also increased trade overall as more stable income meant the smallfolk were willing to spend more. The stable supply and prices also meant that traders could now begin selling northern beef and dairy to the other kingdoms and Essos. All this increased the north's wealth and trade.

The men who Benjen had sent across the known world also soon returned with many new crops to the north some of which like the Ibbenese cow became the staples of north, though for every one that succeeded a dozen if not more failed.

From the disputed lands came the potato now a food which like beef is indistinguishable from the north, from the Lands beyond the wall and in particular the valley of Thenn adventurers brought back the winter grape which is turned into jam and pastries for both Highborn and smallfolk, as well as Ice wine, from the scholars of Myr came the ability to farm mushrooms continuously even in the bitterest winters and from the Braavosi lands came the trees bearing Winter apples and snow peaches. All of these helped enrich both the norther palate and also the northern coffers.

While all this helped impact the North, no part of the North changed more than the Neck. From from the furthest east, so far away that even Benjen's adventurers would dare not go came rice. This particular variety called mountain rice in the language of Yi - Ti was dark brown in on color. Most importantly was its qualities for it could grow rapidly and densely and could do so in the wet regions of the northern neck. Rice itself soon became highly prized in the north for it could be stored for a decade without rotting as long as one kept it dry. This made it enormously sought after in the north. Soon rice farms spread like fire in the northern neck as Crannogmen began settling the fever river valley planting rice, swelling their numbers. In fact along with the trade with rice bringing in huge wealth of its own it would enable a much larger population of the Crannogmen. Using rice they were able to sustainably produce enough food to begin devoting more of their people to more profitable pursuits. House Reed and the Crannogmen would in the century to come grow their production of rice as well as fish, by settling the western shore of the Bite once again after being drive out of there by the Arryns, Salt whose trade they would come to control specially as salt from the Neck along with that from bear island would be given tax advantages. And they would also come to control the trade of fruits, for safe from the krakens they would settle the lower parts of Cape Kraken once again. This region would become the center of the northern fruit industry and would also be the main production center of Ice wine and the birthplace and home of its much more beloved son brandy.

In 99AC Benjen married Meara Reed, a match made more out of love than political need. Lady Meara would use her position to convince her husband to provide many loans to her House to finance what would become known as the Great works of the neck. The First of these was the construction of the town of Greentown. Greentown is located at the mouth of the Fever river and is centered around the Cape bridge, named so due to the fact that the bridge and the road it spawns connect the northern mainland with Cape Kraken, allowing for people to reach it by land. This makes Greentown an important trading hub. The second of these works, which would only really start later after the death of Benjen Stark was the town of Stonereed. A town inspired by braavos and as such it was built in Greywater Lagoon the source of the green fork river. It allows for the Crannogmen to shelter safely and comfortably during winters and has become a place to store food which otherwise would rot or be spoilt on the crannogs in particular rice. Despite the fact it would be built using loans without interest House Reed would not repay the loans fully until Rickard Starks reign when what sums remained owed would be forgiven a year after the marriage of Marla Reed and Eddard Stark.

Benjen had two children who survived until adulthood. His daughter Arya who was married into House Dustin and his only son Cregan who succeeded him as Lord of Winterfell, again at a young age as his father died of a fever. Today Lord Cregan is known as the old wolf or the old man of the north, due to the fact that he ruled for a record breaking 65 years. He is also considered one of the greatest lord of the north. Lord Cregan benefited greatly by his ancestors works for it was in his reign that most of them began truly bearing fruit in particular the growth in the norths population, which would yield the labor that he would need as well as the gold building in his vaults until they overflowed.

His reign would see some of the most prosperous times in the north and in many ways would represent the first true revival and advancement of the culture of the first men since the Andals came to Westeros and the North the last surving First men Kingdom went on the defensive.

His reign was not simply a continuation of earlier works but was composed of his own great contribution, their enormity was so that his sons and grandsons reign were composed of merely trying to finish his legacy. Like the previous Lords of Winterfell he introduced new physical works, building new villages, expanding the roads but he would add his own contributions. The First would be the building of the Winterfell Bridge. This large stone bridge was the first of its scale to be built in the north and would take decades. Cregan would also create the Wolf Guard, or wolf rangers as they are more commonly known. Built using the foundation of guards who protect the direwolf mountains and its trade paths these were first to patrol the Winterlands and then the whole of the north in later years. The Wolf Guard or Wolf Rangers helped secure the north and gave merchants more confidence. It also helped expand the north as Winterfell used to rangers as scouts and surveyors, with rangers often deciding for the smallfolk where they could settle and start new lives and escorting the smallfolk caravans to said locations.

At first the rangers proved rather controversial with the lords of the north, even those directly under the Starks who viewed it with suspicion, fearing they were but the dagger to shoved into the jugulars of the nobility, but soon they welcomed it as a way to both put all their otherwise useless and idle kin to work and also as a way of maintaining the peace. Of course it helped that when the rangers expanded their operations from the Winterlands to the whole of the north Winterfell gave much control of the rangers to the local lords whose lands they operated in and that it remained a relatively small organization.

The second of the three orders grew out of the first one in less than three years. This was the Order of the Bronze swords, they were in essence northern knights and brought the concept of knighthood into the faith of the Old Gods. Complementing the Wolf Guards it became a way of organizing troops and recognizing the service of exceptional soldiers. Though unlike in the south were nearly every noble was a knight and the number of knights were high, Northern Knighthood was a much greater achievement, even when adjusting for population there were 13 southern knights for every northern one for in the North Knights did not have the power to create other knights rather it was a laborious process requiring the consent of multiple people before Winterfell gave its decree. because of this northern knights were held in much higher prestige than southern knights, at least by northerners.

Despite the founding of these rather militaristic orders, the north remained at peace.

This was true even a few years later when dragon fought dragon in the skies above Westeros, and the whole realm other than the north summoned armies to fight for their dragon. And armies fought and armies burned, and the land burned and the people burned, and were cut down with swords, and raped and mutilated. The realm bled, truly no part of it was fully spared, except the North which remained neutral and untouched by the conflict. Indeed the North was the only realm which saw the number of people grow in those bloody years.

For Lord Cregan had no interest in the Iron Throne and its politics. For him he would be kneeling to a dragon in the end and found it a distinction without use on exactly who the dragon would be. Cregan also preferred to be thought a coward and craven by those who he did not care for, rather than he those he did being harmed by the war.

Unlike his father Cregan did not attend the Great Councils called during his reign, uncaring of the outcomes since the north would be unaffected no matter who was on the throne, and used the fact he had no heir to stay in Winterfell as an excuse even though he could have recalled his sister from the barrow lands. He instead stayed at Winterfell and sent Lord Manderly and Umber as his and the Norths representatives. Because of all this Cregan was known as the craven wolf in the southern courts though more than one noble would wish for themselves to be equally as craven when considering the consequences of the Dance of the Dragons

Cregan also built strong ties with the Braavosi. While the city is now considered to be one of the strongest and richest of the free cities in Essos this was not always true. In fact despite the Braavosi boasts the only reason Valyria did not simply grind Braavos under its heel and annex the land has nothing to do with Braavos itself, but rather Braavos is still here because it formed a convenient trading port for the Sarnori who also did not wish to see Valyria, old ally though it may be, expand its domains beyond Lorath in the Far north of Essos and the Valyrian's agreeing to Sarnori demands.

Indeed for most of its history, Braavosi trade with Sarnor was not just the largest component but what truly sustained Braavos and kept it alive, for at the edge of the world, who do you trade with? The answer in Lord Cregan's mind was the North. As such Cregan joined the North deeper into the trade networks of Braavos. He also deposited a huge sum of money into the Iron Bank making House Stark one of its largest depositor and customers and certainly the largest from Westeros with it being known that during the reign of King Robert the Starks had over 10 millions of Gold Dragons deposited in the Iron Bank, more than the Crowns Debt of 6 millions. It was through Braavos that Cregan connected the North to the world and it was through the North that Braavos was able to grow, expanding and taking advantage of the northern trade to fill their harbors, using its location to channel the growing northern wool trade through not just its ports but also its workshops and tailors, in the end gaining the second largest share of the coin from Essos in the wool trade after the North itself and maintaining its lead in the more expensive and elaborate clothing for they knew the tastes of the magisters of Essos better than the North. However it was not just wool, the northern trade would by the time of Lord Rickard expand to beef, soap, fish oils and pastes, brandy and linen. There was also demand for rice and Neck chili however the Starks had forbidden exports of these good and so the trade continued but through smugglers.

Inspired by these new relations Cregan also at this time began finalizing his plans to bring the Braavosi roads to the north. The Braavosi roads were exact copies of the Sarnori Roads which in turn were inspired by the Valyrian Roads. They were roads of rock, much more complex than thought of at first look and since the Doom of Valyria the most advanced roads man could build. While extremely expensive to build, once built they would last for ages as proven by the Sarnori kingdoms which could still use roads laid millennia ago. He began by building a road from Winterfell to the Wintertown and from then to Castle Cerwyn. The expense of building the road was so great the stewards of Winterfell remarked the only thing more expensive would have been to build it out of gold and silver itself. However Cregan would not be deterred by the cost once he saw how well the road performed. The journey time for a cart or horse on it had been cut in half. Further as snows came, the road built on a raised soil bed remained intact and easily visible. After the snows it was as if it had been built yesterday unlike may other roads which would have gotten washed away. Even when the rest of the land turned into impassable mud during the muddy season the road was like a rock river providing smooth travel through terrain rendered navigable for the first time during the muddy season.

So Cregan appointed a Master of Roads for the north and began the building of the wolf roads. The First of which were to travel from the Wintertown to the Keeps of the Direwolf mountains, in the meanwhile cregan established new quarries and worksites for the sole purpose of feeding the large road network he would build. In the first years entire fields would disappear under rock and gravel, used to store the rock that would be used later, and in order to feed the demand the mining and shaping of stone would continue even in the coldest times of the year.

Indeed so great was the demand for rock and labor and so generous was Winterfell in wages that many sons of the North would spend the first years of their youth as adults working on the roads, either directly or on the queries, slowly joining coin so as to establish their own farms and cattle fields as the north expanded and new settlements sprouted all over the land. Even today in many villages old families boast of the number of summers their forefathers sacrificed to build their holdings. Equally many lords of the North were wroth in Winterfell taking labor away and raising expectation of pay among the small folk. This is not to say Winterfell did not demand hard labor for the coin for it was indeed harsh, with heavy workloads and an unrelenting pace.

After the Direwolf road was Built 4 teams were gathered. The first 2 began paving the Kings Road from Winterfell, one team moving in each direction while the other 2 began in White harbor. The first would go west to Barrowtown then Northwest to Ryder hall and then southwest to the Stoneport and from there it would continue north inland across the stony shore before splitting the peninsula of seadragons point in half. Meanwhile the other would go east to Ramsgate and then after heading northwest for a bit it would go due north, cutting the land between the white knife and the shore in twain nearly exactly in the middle until it hit the weeping water. Here it would take a sharp turn and head to Saltport and from there to Karhold. Creating just these roads would take decades and not probably not single worker alive would have worked on it the entire time.

The intersection the two roads in the south would spawn a new town, crosstown which would become both a trading hub and the a bastion of the might of Winterfell in the southern north when Lord Rickard Stark would build a large fort to guard the town after the Rebellion.

These roads would be followed by roads connecting the Kingsroad to the Snowfort and then to the mountains mouth where one could enter the northern mountain range , another connecting the kings road to Karhold via Last Hearth. From Last Hearth a new road would connect it to the Dreadfort via the Lonely Mountain where a cadet branch of House Umber had been established before going west and connecting Dreadfort to the Kingsroad. Anther Meanwhile in the south, Winterfell would be connected by road to Rivertown where after crossing a Stone bridge across the White Knife the road would split one going south to white harbor, the other to Ramsgate followed by Widows Watch. Meanwhile another road would connect Wintertown to the great eastern road via the Hornvale though one needed a ferry to cross the river here. Two more roads would also connect Winterfell to its West one would go to Torrhen's Square and from there to Barrowtown and then to Flints Finger via Greentown. While the other would go from Torrhens Square to the west connecting to each of the great lakes before meeting with the Stoney Shore Road. Building these roads and more would not be the work of decades but centuries but the ones just described would be mostly complete by the reign of King Aerys II.

Indeed along with the time taken another factor of the roads to take to note was the sheer cost of them. House Stark would end up spending as much as they received in taxes on the roads meaning that House stark essentially lived of the income from their gold mines for over a century. This should also take into account that the roads were not the only works House Stark built.

The years then passed without note until 143AC when Cregan after constant complaints from traders about the interest charged by money lenders took the merchants advice and copied the Gardners to create a Bank of Winterfell. Giving out small loans for low interest in order to grow trade. The bank soon became the main and indeed only, after Cregan decided to give himself a monopoly, formal financial institution of the North. In order to build and run the bank Cregan commits one of his more controversial actions, he sends his stewards to Myr where they are to buy 3 slave families who are well trained to act as accountants and bankers assistants and can speak Royal Andal. After reaching the city and finding the people they are looking for the Northmen offer the slaves the chance to be free if they come to the North and work for the Starks. The slaves willingly accept and the families now known as Otto's, Wills and Polders come to the north where they would serve the Starks loyally for generations, taking up the Northern faith and culture until they came to be indistinguishable in look and habit from any other Northerner. Along with running the growing bank of Winterfell as loyal and most importantly neutral stewards who would not funnel Stark gold to their favored regions and families these three families along with the Poole's and Cassels would become the 5 Steward houses of Winterfell. While officially maintaining only a village or two and a manse in Winterfell city as their holdings their positions across the many offices of the north would make them some of the most influential houses with significant wealth belied by their small official holdings.

It was about a decade after the opening of the Bank of Winterfell that it would gain its second seat after the Bank manse in Winterfell. This would be the Wolfs Den keep in White Harbor from where its loans would be used to fuel the Norths trade with the rest of the world.

It was at the opening celebrations of the bank did Cregan meet Lady Janice Wull, also known as the jewel of the mountains. Enchanted by her wit Cregan began courting her, and then married her the next year in 144AC, an act which had secured the Starks another generation just as the northern nobility considered the idea of House Stark going extinct as Cregan had no heir and no brother, uncle or cousin. Indeed even today many believe Cregan to be a man lover for how much he delayed his marriage though no male lover has been found who may have captured his attention. Lady Janice would give Cregan two daughters Sansa and Meara and two sons Brandon and Joel who survived till adulthood. His daughters would be married to Lords Umber and Whitestark while his eldest son and heir Brandon would die in a hunting accident where he fell from his horse and broke his neck making his second son Joel the heir to Winterfell.

When Prince Daeron ascended to the throne to become King Daeron I Cregan’s attentions were once again drawn south especially as Daeron decided to invade the Stepstones. During this time Cregan was once again pressured by his lords to fight in the war for glory. And once again Cregan denied their requests, rather he concentrated on the building of sewers, aqueducts, and other public works in the expanding city of Winterfell.

Despite his iron conviction that the north should avoid wars and instead dedicate themselves to improving their land, Cregan knew that sooner later some foolish lords would in their thirst for war rebel and bring war to the north. Also concerning was that young Lord Bolton, head of a family that was always stirring up trouble for the Starks, had begun using Cregan’s restraint to argue that the Wolves of Winterfell had become weak and was gaining support of the younger more hot headed lords for the Bolton's had realized that despite the growing power of Winterfell House Stark was indeed vulnerable with only two men in the main Stark Line . As such Cregan began plans to make war, but he would not be brash and do it for glory, no Cregan would use war for what it really was, a way to secure more resources.

The Nights Watch had always been heavily influenced by the North due to its location despite being an organization which served all of Westeros. In recent decades however it seemed it was staffed almost completely of northerners as the south did not bother sending either men or supplies to the wall especially as despite the Dance of the Dragon the men in that conflict were more likely to be eaten alive by both dragons and starving refugees than be sent up North especially as Cregan forbade crows or recruiters of the watch going south during the war lest they die and put pressure on Cregan to intervene .

Despite this the Nights watch was in good condition, with northern criminals serving honorably on the wall, supplied by lands which while still mostly empty overall, compared to earlier ages, were heavily populated. However Cregan was not concerned with the wall rather the lands beyond it. Cregan decided that to solve two problems at once, by establishing strongholds beyond the wall he would give his lords the battle and glory they wanted and in the meantime would hopefully lead a more secure border, encouraging more trade in the far north which still saw some wildling raids.

As such in 160 AC Cregan landed at the then abandoned town of Hardhome, which was said to be cursed, with 4000 men at arms and builders as well as 50 families who had agreed to try and make a new home in the far north, being promised homes, ships and no taxes on their catch. He had the mouths of the screaming caves, which were said to the entrance to the demon realms sealed shut with rock, stone and earth and planted 10 Godwoods with Weirwood saplings on the edges of the settlement. Furthermore Cregan began to raise a keep by the port.

Cregan left a moon later leaving Lord Bolton as well as a few of his supporters in charge with orders not to leave until the town was secure. As Cregan expected news came of that the Lords despite wanting war and glory were not as happy receiving it as the wildlings launched raid after raid on the growing settlement. Not that the wildlings succeeded but it took a toll and also after a while the Bolton's and their allies realized that they had essentially exiled themselves to the land beyond the wall to fight for the benefit of Winterfell. As such when Cregan soon returned to Hardhome, the same lords request he relieve them of their duties which Cregan did. Cregan also used the green men in his employ to begin negotiations with the wildling tribes. After many days of negotiation in one of the new Godwoods Cregan secured both peace in Hardhome and safe passage for the traders who wished to visit. In time Hardhome which also contained an outpost of the Nights Watch would grow back into a proper town, as it was before its mysterious demise, with not just fishing but also farming being done outside its walls. A century or so in the future it would become the seat of house Hardstark

In 164 AC the south once again became a concern when Baelor Targaryen took the throne. Baelor the Blessed was a man who was fanatically devoted to the Faith of the Seven and thus was a clear threat to the North. While luckily King Baelor would make peace not war in his lifetime, spending most of his reign reforming the faith Lord Cregan was still greatly paranoid about a possible invasion. As such to ensure the safety of the north Cregan sent a small detachment of rangers to Moat Cailin as well as had the Manderly’s and Stonestark's prepare their fleets.

While as stated the invasion never occurs, the event is an awakening for House Stark who realize that they cannot depend solely on their isolation for their safety and the lack of war and the advent of peace they had enjoyed was as much luck as it was from their choices. In response to this Lord Cregan orders the reconstruction of Moat Cailin, building not just its original 20 towers, but expanding it to guard the north in the future. Henceforth the Wolf Guard maintained a permanent garrison at the keep. However this would take over a century to complete as Cregan both wished to preserve coin and also as he did not wish to provoke an invasion by rapidly building up the keep.

In the winter year lasting 168 AC to 169 AC, the coldest year recorded for generations, a rather subtle threat from the south occurs. King Baelor had written to every house of the north offering food and aid for the winter, King Baelor also inquired about and offered to help with any and all orphans or homeless greybeards. While some would fall for what appeared to be innocent kindness Cregan saw what it truly was, a way of having the faith infiltrate the North. Cregan rejected the offer for the entirety of the North.

Even though King Baelor dies just shortly later, Cregan mindful of possible future attempts to convert the North raised taxes in order to create the Order of the Weirwood. This order absorbed the existing network of orphanages, homes for greybeards, healing centers, birth rooms, and other such services which were run by the Green Men of the North who would all be encouraged to join the order and end up running it.

Where as previously the Green Men's ,and the Nobles who sponsored their work, oversaw a disjointed patchwork of individual organizations, Cregan unified them all into one framework similar to how Aegon I united the Faith. Indeed it is said that in creating the Order of the Weirwood Cregan indeed took control of the Faith of the Old Gods. The Order of the Weirwood would take over the traditional duties of the Green Men, providing alms to the poor, birthing houses for mothers, healing for the sick, homes for greybeards without families or those who had been abandoned by their families, orphanages and much more. Along with taking over these traditional duties the order was it was to educate people in the history of the North, and through it over the next century literacy would double in the North. Further all these services would be made uniform, with Winterfell decreeing common duties and raising common taxes the social role of the Green Men was made uniform, uncaring for ancient compromises or local availability of funds.

Cregan decreed that all northerners who believe in the Old Gods were welcome as members of the order, and after 10 years of service may leave if they choose, or they may take vows for another 10 years of service. The Green Men were allowed to join for life, receiving salary, room and meals for their services. And at the end of their working life the Order would provide for them in their last years when they were too old to work, a duty traditionally undertaken by the Nobility in whose lands they served. These actions won him much praise from the Smallfolk and helped foster a deeper sense of identity amongst all Northerners and followers of the Old Gods especially in later centuries as the Order of the Weirwood would slowly expand beyond the North.

As they years passed and Cregan grew older and older, he began appearing less in public, especially when his wife died in 173 AC. In these years he began working with his son Joel to create his final great plan one which would consume the last years of his reign and that of his son and grandson. This was the expansion of Winterfell the keep. The expansion which would take 6 decades would turn Winterfell into the Largest keep in Westeros by land surpassing Harrenhal. But where Harrenhal would be dominated by large towers and keeps even the king could not maintain, the Starks would go a different route. They would build 2 more sets of double walls in the same fashion as the original walls of Winterfell giving an invading army 6 walls and 3 moats to get through. They would also build 6 walls between the two new walls creating 6 partitions, only two of which can be accessed from the outside, these were also the smallest of the partitions in order to turn the field they held into a more defensible area. The other 4 could only be accessed from the middle ring which was kept empty and used for grazing cattle and vegetable gardens larger than most peasants fields. The outer and largest layer meanwhile saw along with fields for growing food, Godswoods, lots of storage houses, Granaries, Butteries, houses, workshops for smiths, fletchers, candlemakers, halls to be filled with offices for those running the north. Large keeps from where the Wolf Guards, Order of the Weirwood and Bank of Winterfell are run as well as other keeps, which were used mostly as storage and spare rooms when Winterfell filled with guests due to tourneys and other occasions.Cregan also began planning another expansion of the City of Winterfell including by building the south bank of the city.

Cregan, despite predictions he would follow his wife to the grave soon, lived on for eight more dying in 181 AC. He was mourned throughout the north and it is said that not a single sound of joy or the briefest glimpse of a smile could be seen anywhere in the north the year that cregan died.

He was succeeded by his eldest Joel who was called Joel One Eye due to a tourney accident. Joel spent most of his reign simply trying to complete the works his farther had started. However in the north he is remebered for two feats, the first and smaller one was that he had ordered the Bank of Winterfell to open a new branch in Stoneport. This would take a decade and herald a new trend where the Bank of Winterfell would attempt to open a new branch every 5-7 years there hereafter. By the end of King Roberts reign Winterfell, White Harbor, Stoneport, Saltport, Last Hearth, Barrowtown, Greentown, Rivertown, Snowfort, The Rills Town, The Glenn Port, Ramsgate, Crosstown and Moat Cailin Town, the Dreadfort and all the other major settlements of the north had branches of the Bank of Winterfell. This gave the North the lowest interest rates in Westeros. Whereas in the cities without banks one had to pay above 20% and in the cities with banks one had to pay 10-20% in the North a known and established merchant could get a loan for less than 10%.

However this feat while important is less known and later less celebrated than his other one though it would be some time until he was honored for it. For it would be Lord Joel who would through the Green men begin talks with the Clans of the Mountains of the Moon, something which would set the stage for the Great Accord of the Vale in a few decades time. Lord Joel reigned for 20 years and was then followed by his son Rickon.

Lord Rickon was a boisterous man, especially compared to his father and grandfather. He was also much more interested in the affairs of the south, something which is attributed both to his mother being a Manderly as well as growing up with the second son of House Blackwood, Brynden Blackwood as a foster brother. Like his father he would spend most of his reign simply trying to complete the monumental set of works let behind his grandfather Cregan but that does not mean Lord Rickon did not leave his mark, in many ways his contribution to the North would be the greatest of any Lord of Winterfell ,if the somewhat biased in this case, opinion of learned men could be believed.

He would be the one to establish the Wolf Den Port, a fortified port just outside the boundaries of White Harbor, where Winterfell would maintain a small navy of its own which would not just patrol the north but more importantly allow House Stark to trade with the south and Braavos increasing their wealth without relying on the gold mines which history had shown were going to run out sooner or later. He would also fund the adventures of his brother Brandon "Windstrider" Stark who would go on to become the first recorded Northman to navigate past the Qarth straits. Lord Brandon would then make it past the pirate kingdoms on the south shores of the Qarth Peninsula, negotiate passage across the ports of the vast and varied kingdoms of Moraq which were constantly at war over matters no outsider could truly comprehend, for their politics were more opaque than that of Kings Landing, survive the other pirates to make it to the ports of Leng, survive the judgement of the judges of Leng who were frankly little better than pirates at least to outsiders, and then after another moon of sailing finally making it to Yi-Ti where he would spend little more than a moon. Bringing back great wealth, with which he would create the Windstrider trading company based in White Harbor where he would build his own keep (more of a series of large manses enclosed by a wall) and build his own town which would become an extension of the city of White Harbor. Lord Brandon would also write of this and his other voyages in the book "Tales of the Windstrider". He would name his own cadet branch of the Starks House Windstrider.

Lord Rickon would also convince his friend Brynden to convince his own father to formalize the moneylender role that House Blackwood had played for millennia in the Riverland's. It was through their ability to charge interest rates that they were able to serve the various kings of the Riverlands as their chief financiers, managing the money and the debts of the kings and also helping the various lords of the Riverlands. Collecting debts which they then used to extract protection from the surrounding Andal families. This was what allowed House Blackwood to survive all these years in the south after the Andal invasion and retain their faith for the faithful required their sinful usury based loans. As such Brynden with his brother Hoster would create the Blackwood bank.

House Stark would agree to deposit 100,000 gold dragons at an unheard of 1% interest rate in order to help the bank begin its operations, though for this they also get to purchase a 1/4 ownership in the enterprise for a nominal sum of 1000 gold dragons. In time the bank based in Raventree Town would quickly grow by taking over the Blacwoods existing operations and entrench the Blackwood's further in the Riverland's trade networks. Lord Rickon would also agree to lend at very generous terms the funds needed for his friend to build his own seat and to expand a fishing village into a small but well defended and prosperous port town. Blackpool as it became known would grow slowly but would take advantage of the peace to profit from the growing trade in Ironmans Bay, in particular it would greatly benefit from Lord Bryndens decision to made Blackpool the premier hub for trade between the North and the Riverlands. This trade which was strong already would only grow in coming decades and the prosperity would allow his descendants to, along with the profits from the Blackwood bank, pay back the Starks. Indeed this prosperity of House Blackwood would also allow them to create the Blackwood Bridge, or Blackbridge as its also known, the second stone bridge on the Green fork other than the Twins, something which would not only redirect trade and thus bring wealth but would also earn House Blackwood the undying enmity of House Frey.

Lord Rickon would also throw his support into the talks with the Clans of the Mountains of the Moon and make great headway in them though that was not saying much considering how slow it was.

However the greatest achievement of Lord Rickon in the opinion of biased historians and learned men was to build the Winterfell Collegium. This was based not on the Citadels of the south but on the Collegium in Myr. As such its students were not forgers of chains or lifelong adherents to any order like the Maesters. Rather they learnt just a few subjects. Mostly reading and writing in various languages, mathematics and one main subject, it could be architecture, bookkeeping, ravenry, law, healing or some other field. As such for the Maester including those who had been brought to teach at the Collegium it was not a true center of learning like either Citadels but rather a school of stewards. Though in time the Winterfell Collegium would grow to become a center of learning equal to any in the south. Lord Rickon would be succeeded by his son Lord Edwyle in 233 AC after he died of a fever.

Lord Edwyle would oversee much prosperity and would also be the one under whose reign the expansion of Winterfell ended some 6 decades it they began. Lord Edwyle however was ready for the occasion and after giving the laborers 3 months bonus wage for completing the job, the day those three months were over he employed them again, starting work on the Winterfell Arena, inspired by the Highgarden Arena. Lord Edwyle would also expand the city, building new squares and began construction on a large statue of Brandon the Builder in a new large square in Southern Winterfell, again inspired by the three kings statue of Highgarden.

He would also be the Lord to finally build walls around the city of Winterfell taking care to keep the walls of the Keep and the City separate. Lord Edwyle would build the walls to cover twice the size of the city as it existed then, swallowing a village and would make two fortified bridges, built where the wolf knife would enter and leave the city boundaries, which would act a way to defend against attack from boat, blockade the river passages and negate the need for walls along the banks similar to how Oldtown was defended.

It would also be Lord Edwyle for whom the stars would align. And as such it would be under his reign that the Starks after decades of preparation would send a raven to the Eyrie proposing a peace between House Arryn and the Clans of the Mountains of the Moons. Of course only 5 had agreed, and the smaller 5 at that with the 4 dissenters containing the majority of the mountain men population, especially as those from the 5 clans who had dissented had left them and joint the other 4. But it was more than ever before and for then Lord Ronnel it was a chance to etch his name into the history books. For Lord Ronnel had been too ill as a boy to accompany his father Lord Artos in the Great Mountain War which was a campaign Lord Artos had waged against the tribes dealing on them the strongest blow in generations and by some accounts more than halving their numbers. Thus unlike his peers, he had no songs of his bravery and no acknowledgement of his valor. Despite being acknowledged as a competent administrator of the Vale Lord Ronnel wanted nothing more to be acknowledged and remembered and with this offer he would do what his father and ancestors could not.

As such Lord Edwyle met with Lord Ronnel in Runestone the Seat of House Royce in secret with representatives of the 5 clans who all agreed to bend the knee in return for certain concessions. Along with protection from retaliation for past actions and the right to practice their faith they also wished for land, freedom to trade and other some more minor protections. And while Lord Ronnel did not give in at first attempt he in the end conceded it all with only some minor tweaks made to save face. In truth the main sticking point was between Houses Stark and Arryn. Ronnel wished for House Stark to show goodwill, especially as Lord Ronnel was deeply suspicious about the connections between the clans and Winterfell and demanded Lord Edwyle allow for fosterages and marriages. But House Stark refused, Lord Edwyle only had one son and his two daughters were to be married to Houses Snowstark and Stonestark, an oath he could not break without tarnishing his honor, further the death of the Grand duch*ess Sansa Stark weighted heavily in the conversations though no one mentioned it out loud. In the end it was agreed that the second son of Lord Rickard would foster with House Arryn and discussion about a possible marriage would also occur then.

After the Starks left a formal declaration was sent by Lord Ronnel where he announced he had "begun" talks, for it would not do to let the Lords of the Vale know the deal was done without their knowledge. As Lord Ronnel expected there was much push back and anger but he was not deterred and 6 months after that, in Eyrie town in the field that would become known as the field of peace and now is marked by a monument with statues showing the clans bending the knee, a Godwood and a small sept the 5 clans would swear oaths of allegiance and bend the knee to House Arryn in front of Green men, Septons, the Lords of the Vale and representatives from further afield including those from the North and from the Crown. The Great Accord of the Vale as it was known was composed by oaths which were sworn by both sides.

After millennia 5 of the Mountain clans had bent the knee to the Falcon and in doing so marked a new phase in the history of the Vale, and as Lord Ronnel desired ensured his name would never be forgotten with the Vale giving him the title Ronnel the Just and also Ronnel the Victorious, also used was Ronnel the Great. Though it should be noted that not all of the Vale lords were happy, most prominently the Grafton's and Corbays who privately called him Ronnel the Heretic and Ronnel the Turncloak.

In the Vale these 5 became known as the 5 civilized tribes, a name the clans despised. Numbering some 2 thousand in total with their 4 counter parties having some number over 3 thousand. They settled in an area in the southern parts of the Vale where due to a plague the population had dropped enough that House Arryn was able to shift villages and grant each clan the land they were promised in one contiguous block, with the land they inhabited becoming known as the Moon field in polite company and the savage lands in impolite company. In setting up the villages the 5 were aided by Winterfell. About 2 decades after the accord the clans would open ,with House Starks help, the Bank of the Moon which was opened with 2 seats one in Gulltown and other in Griffin Town the largest settlement of the clans which unlike the rest of their holdings was held and administered jointly.

In return for the help which was composed of experienced bankers, gold to buy the buildings and pay the staff in the first few years as well as a generous deposit at a 1% interest rate House Stark would own one fifth of the bank with the rest being held equally by the 5 clans. The Bank of the Moon over the reigns of Kings Aegon V, Jaehaerys II, Aerys II and King Robert would become a powerful yet mostly unacknowledged force in the Vale as the Vale Lords viewed themselves as too honorable to be concerned about bankers who as it were were not only heretics but also sinners with their charging of interest. However the Bank paid them no heed and continued growing, enriching the clans and gaining influence across the lands of Vale nobility. In the future they would have to fight hard to protect this influence from who they called "Bloody Robin" but that was a story for another time.

The War of the Ninepenny Kings erupted in the Reign of Lord Edwyle and presented a large challenge to him. . After King Jaehaerys II summoned the regional wardens to help defend Westeros House Stark saw the first summoning of its armies by the Iron Throne and House Targaryen since Aegon's Conquest for even in the Dance of Dragons the Targaryens had not bothered trying to bring the wolves in to the conflict for the Green zealots, devoted to the Faith of the Seven saw them as savage barbarians and the Blacks did not trust the wolves fearful of betrayal by savages of a poor land who might be tempted by Westerland gold and Reach grain. Thus for the first time since Torrhen knelt, considering that Aegon the Conqueror had not called the armies of the North during the Dornish Invasion, the North was to muster its armies and go south. This time though there was no ambiguity and no way for House Stark to defer without defying the throne openly something they had been loath to do as they desired to simply live in peace, viewing their tribute less as a tax owed to the rightful liege lord and more of a payment to the Iron throne to facilitate trade and defend their borders.

Compounding this challenge was another one in the form of his young son Lord Rickard who wished to go and fight. In the end it was agreed after much fighting and tears on both sides that Lord Rickard could take up to 10,000 men south. These men were quickly raised from mostly the youth eager to fight and explore the world outside the north, who also were attracted by the coin, a promise of a bonus on return and a promise of gold to the families of those who died or were gravely injured, though less than 200 men of the north would die in the end as the Southern lords got the most "glory" so that they could claim the loot, not that there was much. Lord Rickard despite his desire to fight did not seek to waste his men's lives and so did not object to the Northerners really only fighting in the Last Battle, if one does not count repelling opportunistic raids by scouts on their camps. Compared to Stormlander's and Westerlander's who were dealt the most deaths by proportion, or the Reachmen who saw the most death by number, or someone who would later join the Brotherhood without Banner too traumatized by the horror of war, the Northmen Smallfolk who went to the south did not curse the war. For many indeed it was similar to a grand adventure in the south, an illusion of the reality of war more suited to songs and one which would only be shattered for the North in the Robert and Greyjoy Rebellions. Among the Northern Nobility Lord Rickard was celebrated for "his" victory in the war, further Lord Rickard would also make strong connections to the rest of the southern nobility in particular to Jon Arryn.

As the years passed Lord Rickard married Lyarra Whitestark with whom he had 4 children, one daughter and three sons. Lady Lyarra would almost die birthing her youngest son Benjen, but while she would survive she would never bear a child again. In time Lord Rickard's second son would grow old enough and under the terms of the agreement between Lord Edwyle and Lord Ronnel young Lord Eddard Stark was sent to the Vale to foster with Lord Jon Arryn who had also fostered Lord Robert Baratheon, Heir to the Stormlands as well as many sons of the Vale nobility not to mention his 2 nephews Elbert and Denys Arryn.

Lord Edwyle would die in 270 AC followed by his wife Lady Sarah in 297 AC.

As Lord Rickard ascended the Winter Throne and Young Eddard once again departed for the Eyrie and the years went by, the North was confident that their long and prosperous peace would never be interrupted. But they forgot a rather famous saying of theirs "Winter is Coming" and winter would come for the North soon enough.

Chapter 15: The Board is Set

Chapter Text

The Paranoia of King Aerys II is legendary till day, second only to his cruelty. But while to most Westerosi who give it a thought these days the paranoia was unfounded and brought on as a factor of his madness, those who study the periods history in detail are not so dismissive, as the saying goes where there is smoke there is fire. And while many of Aerys II actions were unforgivable and undoubtedly mad and cruel, his paranoia over the actions of the Great Houses at least was built on a strong foundation of facts. Though how he interpreted and acted on them leaves much room for doubt about the Kings wisdom.

The first and foremost fact of the matter is that while Aerys II had indeed needlessly slighted his Hand Lord Tywin the might of House Lannister was undoubtedly growing, and growing to the level that any King would be concerned. Even the kings best yet half-hearted efforts were at most minor impediments to the growth of Casterly Rocks influence and even after Roberts Rebellion many of the officeholders of the seven kingdoms, even those who were not from the Westerlands were in the pocket of the lions, a fact that Queen Cersei would use to great effect as she built her support in the capitol. Furthermore King Aerys II fears that Lord Tywin desired to have him die at Duskendale and that Prince Rhaegar was not loyal to him were also supported my much anecdotal evidence.

However it was not just Lord Tywin the King Aerys feared for he would be correct to see that the Great Houses across the realm wished for more power at the expense of the Crown. This is shown clearly in the records of Grand Maester Pycelle whose work, "The Reign of King Aerys II and the Great Rebellion of the Lords Declarant" mentions many of the reports made by Lord Varys, also known as The Spider and who was the Master of Whisperers, to the small council where he is said to have described the discontent state of the Great Houses.

The Ironborn as always chafed against the law of the Iron Throne and it was well known that the sons of Lord Quellon were thirsty to adopt the old ways again, indeed it was commonly known many of the raids by "pirates" in these years on the ships and fishing villages of the Riverlands, Reach and Westerlands were reavings lead by the sons of Lord Quellon, not that there was much proof for the Greyjoys left no evidence and were discreet enough and the reaving small enough that they were able to escape any true retaliation by the Crown. Meaning it was not just the King who worried about a rebellion in the Iron Islands. Indeed the years leading up to the rebellion would be characterized by the Coastal Lords of the Riverland's, the Westerlands and the Reach quietly and slowly but surely build up their defenses as news of Lord Quellon's fading health spread, fixing walls, extending the range of patrol , aiding knight and lords who had keeps on the coast either expand their keep or in the case of the Blackwood's of Raventree hall and Blackpool begin building walls around every large fishing village in their lands.

House Gardner wished less for more royal standing and more for increased control over the Reach. They had also at the time forged strong relations with Oldtown, the Arbor, Brightwater Keep and the Goldengrove in the past two generations meaning that even if the other principal bannermen stood with the Crown House Targaryen would still loose the Reach without outside intervention. King Aerys II had also not forgotten about their conduct during the reign of his grandfather Aegon V and while he had intervened to protect them from Tywin's wrath in the past now he regretted the decision as he increasingly grew paranoid over Highgarden.

This was particularly as actions which had seemed useful in the past such as moving seat of the Faith and alchemist guild to Kings Landing and breaking the monopoly of Oldtown on the Maester order had only weakened the Hightowers and given House Gardner a free hand in the Reach especially as the Town of Highgarden became a small city half the size of Oldtown with some 40-50 thousand people compared to Oldtowns 100-120 thousand. This meant that even House Hightowers traditional strength, i.e. trade was not unchallenged anymore. All in All meaning that even if House Hightower could be convinced to fight for House Targaryen they simply were not as much of a threat as they had been for centuries past.

In the Riverland's House Tully was not viewed as a particular threat by the King who held its Lord Hoster Tully in contempt as a weak man. But the Trouts incessant efforts to secure matches for their daughters particularly to Tywin's eldest before his induction to the Kingsguard made the King wary, for even if House Tully was not a threat in and of themselves they could be swayed to another House in rebellion by Rhaegar or Tywin with Rhaegar setting aside Elia Martell for Cersei Lannister and Jamie Lannister marrying Catelyn Tully.

More worrying however was a threat which had only reveled itself to King Aerys due to the work of his spymaster Varys. One which had the potential to match the threat of Casterly Rock. This was the emerging alliance between House Stark, Baratheon and Arryn. Jon Arryn the Old Falcon, who despite his House's honorable reputation was considered by many to be a rather cunning player of the Game of Thrones. He was said to have ambition to match the deeds of his father Ronnel the Just, but where Ronnel left a mark on the Vale, Jon Arryn hungered to leave a mark on Westeros itself. As a young Lord, Jon Arryn had thrown himself into the pit of snakes that was Kings Landing with a gusto unseen in many Vale lords, indeed it was this lack of Vale vassals skilled in the Game which hampered his otherwise strong efforts in gaining offices and power. What headway he made, and it was considerable for a young Lord of the Vale, was mostly undone in the first decade of King Aerys II who at that point essentially gave over the duty appointments to his Hand Tywin and when choosing for himself preferred men who were pious in learning the latest fashionable dance and forms of dress than men pious in a Sept as the Vale Lords were.

Defeated Lord Jon Arryn began another route. Building on his guaranteed fostering of the second son of Winterfell, the first such fostering one could remember, as well as his friendship with Steffon Baratheon built during the Third War of the Stepstones, Lord Jon Arryn was able to secure the fostering of the Heir to the Lord of the Stormlands Robert Baratheon. He also secured fostering from many of his vassals if not of heirs, then of nephews and second sons. Further he also secured the fostering of Corlys Velaryon the "Landhorse" and the youngest of 3 sons of the Lord Jacareys of House Velaryon of Kings Landing. He was given this title for unlike the rest of House Velaryon he could not sail, falling seasick easily, a fact that spawned a thousand japes, however his skill on a horse no man could deny winning many a joust against his foster brothers.

But while in ages past and under any other Lord Arryn these fostering would be a mere curiosity under this Lord Arryn and under this King the fostering were nothing less than a call to treason for King Aerys II who it is said began mistrusting his own kin, with the voyage to Volantis to find a Valyrian bride for Prince Rhaegar being not just a way to undermine Tywin and Rhaegar but also a way for Lord Steffon to prove his loyalty to the Crown and to Aerys II.

Further compounding this threat was Varys informing Aerys II that it was likely that Lyanna Stark would either be married to Elbert Arryn or as was suggested, to Lord Baratheon, the first such marriage in centuries. But most damming for the Starks was Aerys II being informed that the Stark had rebuilt Moat Cailin, with over 21 towers now with more being built , strong walls and a permanent garrison sworn to Winterfell. Aery II now had the paranoia of House Stark, after remaining quiet and obedient for centuries simply breaking away and taking half his realm, winter wasteland it may be away with them. But even that fact, that the north was a wasteland was uncertain. Lord Varys the first master of whisperers not to be a Westerosi lord and thus was perhaps the first to truly bother sending spies to the North in any great numbers, at least since the legendary Byrnden rivers and he was too busy with the Blackfyre rebellions to act on any information he recieved. And as such Lord Varys brought much news from the North. For Aerys II the news of this Winterfell Collegium (to undermine the Royal Citadel), Bank of Winterfell (to gain control of the trae networks), Rangers (private standing army), Weirwood Orders (to undermine the power of the Faith which was aligned to the Crown) and other such things that Varys told him about only solidified his belief of the threats the Starks posed and caused him to curse his forefathers who had ignored half their realm, content to not look at what was going on in the North so long as their taxes arrived on time.

As such Houses Arryn and Stark soon came to be seen along with House Lannister as some of the key threat by Aerys II, though to be fair he distrusted all the great houses for even House Martell who had married into his line were not over his suspicion. Aerys II had been the one to decree the marriage between Elia Martell and his heir Rhaegar but now he regretted his actions, for his granddaughter did not have the blood of the dragon while his good daughter was weak and frail like his wife.

And so as they final years of his reign passed by Aerys II became more and more paranoid and more and more cruel. As such it is no wonder the actions he took at Harrenhal. Indeed if one did not know better one could argue the whole rebellion was inevitable the moment the invites went out.

The Falcons flock ,as they were sometimes called (after they were all long dead and by men who had never met them) were Lords raised by Jon Arryn in the Eyrie. Composed of mostly Vale Nobles they were a collection the like of which had not been seen before. This was true even without Lord Eddard for heirs and kin to the Lords of the 5 civilized tribes (just never call them that when a clansman was around you) were also fostered in the Eyrie to help build ties between boys whose families had fought for millennia. Also present was the heir to Stormlands, Robert Baratheon, A Velaryon of Kings Landing, a Mooton of Maidenpool and a Cox of Saltpans, the latter two secured due to the friendships Lord Jon had created in his youth.

One of its most important members was Eddard Stark, who was the second son of Lord Rickard Stark, Lord of Winterfell. Record of his youth are sparse, and little is truly known of his time in the Eyrie. It is known he was rather unhappy with much of the circ*mstances of his fostering and chafed at the lack of true Godwoods, the lack of people who spoke Winterfell First Tongue, the mistrust that existed because of his northern heritage and his friendships with the sons of the 5 Clans (It is also good manners and an appropriate safety precaution to not call them the Five Civilized tribes when in earshot of a Northerner).

It is known for example that many of the Lords of the Vale found him inferior to his foster brothers such as Lord Elbert and Lord Robert and not for the account of him being a second son as there were other second sons who were not treated as cruelly. It is also said by some accounts that Jon Arryn himself held some prejudice against Lord Eddard though this is hard to believe, as he would raise his banners to protect all his foster sons not just the Andal ones and there are no accounts of prejudice by Lord Jon Arryn against the 5 Valley Clans.

Despite this his fostering was a success when viewed from the angle of the deep friendships Lord Eddard created with his many of foster brothers including and most importantly with Robert Baratheon and with Elbert and Denys Arryn, though he was friendly with most vale noblemen with few exceptions. For example House Stark and House Corbay would be hostile for many years for the Corbays held the most hatred for the followers if the Old Gods or at least were most willing to openly show their disdain for the 5 Clans and for the North.

It is known he was accompanied to the Vale by a succession of Green men and stewards to teach him what the southern Maesters could not in relation to the North and his most constant shadow was Otto Polder, a man who would be his lifelong servant and companion; and Lord Eddard's most trusted confidant to the point it is said that in his will, which he wrote when his son was born, he named Otto as the regent of the north should he not survive while his son was still not of age and his brother Benjen and his father were unable to become regent.

Despite Lord Eddard's misgivings over his fostering he would undertake the initiative to propose closer ties between the North and South on his own accord, discouraging a match between his sister Lyanna and Lord Elbert Arryn and instead proposing one between his friend Robert Baratheon and his sister, for he felt Lord Baratheon's temperament was much more suited to his sister compared to Lord Elbert who was much more calm and rational.

As such he invited his father to bring his sister on his journey to Kings Landing where he was to meet with the king and more importantly talk to representatives of the Helens League. Trade envoys had come from that far away land for the first time, and having sent a message through the Iron Bank beforehand the Nobility was prepared and was making its way to Kings Landing in large numbers for this would be, even if not a fruitful trade talk, the first and perhaps only time most would be able to meet people from such a faraway place where they are said to have cliffs filled with jewels and centers of learning to make the Citadels of Westeros seem like a common rural Septonary. Along with his daughter and some of his Lords particularly those involved in trade, Lord Rickard also got his eldest and heir Brandon of House Stark to the south.

As Jon Arryn also was to go to Kings Landing it was decided to meet at Gulltown. The Arryn party arrived first and were joined soon after by Hoster Tully and his party. Jon Arryn had invited them as he was interested in a possible match for his nephew and heir Elbert, similarly he wished to make introductions between the Tully daughters and Lord Robert Baratheon. Lord Robert would soon become too old to foster, and from the start it was somewhat strange that he continued to be fostered while being the Lord of the Stormlands and not just the heir. Lord Robert now had to think about his own marriage. Also joining them as well was a contingent of House Velaryon of Kings Landing with Daenaera Velaryon the queen who never was among them. While in previous generations House Velaryon of Kings Landing were content on marrying merchant princesses from Volantis, now after the incident with Daenaera Velaryon rejection and the malice that poured forth in the aftermath Lord Jacaerys was keen on re-establishing his House's standing among the Westerosi nobility. Hence his fostering of his youngest son with Lord Arryn, his arrangement of his heir Lord Lucerys marriage to Lord Celtigar's daughter and his desire for his own daughter to marry into a powerful noble family even if she tragically would never be Queen. With the Starks arriving about a sennights time after the rest, the Ball of Gulltown as it came to be known began. And while it was somewhat of a success in certain aspects for the houses who attended, it was a bloody affair in the end for when king Aerys heard that four of the great houses would be meeting to discuss matches he flew into such a rage that the black cells were cleaned of common criminals, all burnt alive to sate the Kings rage.

King Aerys II should not have been too fearful though for while suitably grand and good for building friendships it was in many ways a blatant failure. Lord Hoster Tully failed to get any match, for he had filled his eldest daughter head with dreams about marrying Jamie Lannister and becoming Lady of Casterly Rock, a prospect it is said Lord Tywin was also agreeable with. Indeed it was commonly said that Lord Tywin's original plan was to marry his daughter to the Crown Prince and his son to Lady Catelyn the second most beautiful maiden among the great houses, with a further match between Lysa Tully and either Robert Baratheon or Elbert Arryn, Lord Tywin would create an alliance to finally crush the might of Highgarden for the slight they delivered to him all those years ago during the Reyne-Tarbeck Rebellion, a reward he would give himself for finally securing his goal of a Lannister Queen and setting the stage of a King with Lannister blood

So confident was Lord Hoster in the match between Lady Catelyn and Lord Jamie that indeed he was originally only coming to Gulltown to find a match for his daughter Lysa and bringing the rest of his household only so that they meet their peers. Now however some moons past the tournament where Jamie Lannister had been inducted into the Kingsguard, Lord Hoster came with renewed determination. However Lady Catelyn was still upset over losing her golden lion and as such could hardly show enthusiasm about being married to the silent Lord Elbert or the too loud Lord Baratheon who as it was concentrated on Lady Lyanna. The only man who caught her eye was unfortunately Lord Brandon of House Stark, and while he was handsome, charming and of the correct status as heir to the North was unfortunately a follower of the old gods while Lady Catelyn was a very pious woman devoted to the seven.

Furthermore when approached by Lord Hoster about a possible match between the first son of Winterfell and the second daughter of Riverrun Lysa Tully ,for Lord Hoster would not send his eldest to the North and wished for Lady Catelyn to become the Lady of the Vale or the Stormlands Lord Rickard would gently but firmly deny any matches, declaring any who was raised in the light of the seven was unsuitable to become Lady of Winterfell unless they renounced the faith similar to the Manderly maidens who had married into the Starks of old, this was something neither Lady Catelyn nor Lady Lysa could or would do.

Also for the assembled Lords the Tully's were also no great catch, despite their wealth and position as Lords Paramount of the Trident. Lord Robert was despite his attempted courting of lady Lyanna not ready to marry just yet. As for House Arryn they were also hesitant. Elbert Arryn was so because he was unsure on the suitability of the sad Lady Catelyn being his wife but the greater impediment was Lord Jon Arryn who after receiving a letter whose contents are lost was suddenly more wary about making any matches just yet.

As for Lady Lyanna and Lord Robert their story was more shaded. Indeed the first words Lady Lyanna spoke to the Storm Lord was a rejection of any marriage to the exasperation of her father but to the amusem*nt of the others assembled. Lord Robert is said to have replied " Aye, if I will not have you for a wife then I greet you as dear sister for any sister of Ned is a sister of mine" to which Lady Lyanna is famously said to have replied "By the look in your eyes my lord and the words spoken by that tongue the Targaryen blood is strong in you" making the assembled nobility laugh. It is said this wit help enamor Lord Baratheon.

They spent a sennights time in each others company and while Lady Lyanna was won over from her cold demeanor by Lord Roberts legendary charm and charisma she still rejected his hand. But unfortunately for her Lord Robert had gotten through to Lord Rickard even when the existence of his bastard daughter was made known to the Starks, as such Lord Rickard promised to at least consider the match. Here at Gulltown word came of Lady Lyarra having become deathly ill as a fever suddenly swept Winterfell, the Maester unsure whether she would survive . Worried for his wife and bound to his duty to the North Lord Rickard sent his sons home, going to Kings Landing as the representative of House Stark and taking his daughter for he had already sent word he would bring her to court, much to the displeasure of Lady Lyanna who was worried about her mother. At this point Lord Arryn also to the surprised the gathered group. With Lord Rickard's permission he sent Lord Elbert Arryn to the North with the Stark's, and ordered Lord Denys to stay in the Eyrie, upending their previous plans to go to the Red Keep. Lord Elbert would end up spending about a year or so in the North and would become good friends with not only the Stark's but many of the Northern Nobility.

This change in plans greatly upset Lord Robert who had been promised Lord Eddard and Elbert's company, and as it was did not want to go to court and haggle over tariffs. He also wished to go North, but his position as Lord of the Stormlands would not allow it. And so the Ball of Gulltown ended.

As the Four Lord Paramount's and their men reached King Landing they quickly realized that the rumors of the Kings Madness were true and that instead of playing up the kings madness they played it down. For about two sennights they would endure the shifting moods of the king and only the warnings of Lord Hand Owen Merryweather and Lord Varys kept one of them from being swallowed by the kings madness and malice though due to his youth Robert Baratheon came close to the fire more than one time. It also came out to the company which came from Gulltown that Lord Robert greatly resented the Targaryens for his parent death something even Lord Jon Arryn did not know for how well he kept it hidden.

Times were very tense at the Red Keep, for due to the Helen trade envoys the nobility of Westeros had gathered in Kings Landing in great numbers. Both the Red and Black Keep were filled completely and the inns next to them were booked solid by the men at arms and stewards. These large numbers only seemed to strengthen the Kings paranoia. The King would mandate the court watch his executions so that they may understand and fear the might of the dragons. But all it really ended up doing was turn the nobility against the King and strengthened the hand of Prince Rhaegar.

This time was also used by the nobles to great affect, with so many nobles from across the realm and all the Lords Paramount's except Prince Doran and Lord Quellon Greyjoy who had sent their brother in the case of Prince Doran and Goodbrother in case of Lord Quellon, the Red keep hosted in truth a grand council though it was not called as such. Therefore its no surprise that many pact and agreements were sealed in these months from Squiring's, Fosterages, Betrothals, trade agreements which were completely separated from the ones with the Helen Envoy talks and much more. Lord Varys the Master of Whispers is reported to have said he would need three of himself and 6 more hours in the day to keep up with what was going on among the nobles at this time.

Despite the Kings madness, the nobles found that their stay to be much worth the effort. The talks were a success though of limited impact due to the large distance between the seven kingdoms and the Helen peninsula and the agreements made on the side meant that those who did not attend were locked out of the greatest political realignment of the age up until that point.

Further the king also became much better for a moon after the arrival of the delegation word came from Dragonstone that despite her frail health Princess Elia had given birth to a son. Prince Aegon as he was named was very much a Valyrian and unlike his granddaughter the king actually descended from his throne to better look and welcome his grandson when he was presented to court. After the traditional oaths of fealty were sworn the King all but forbid the nobles from seeing the young prince, not wanting the child to harmed by daggers and shadows only the king could see.

In the end a large Tourney was held in the Kings Landing Arena and which was won by Ser Barristan the Bold who would with Prince Rhaegar's permission named Princess Elia as Queen of Love and Beauty. As the festivities ended the nobles returned to their home and the King continued to stew in his paranoia for the recovery he made at the birth of his grandson soon ended.

As the year passed Kings Landing would continue to see burnings, though the rest of the realm was peaceful and prosperous. About 9 moons past during Aegons month Lord Whent sent letters across the realm announcing a grand tourney at Harrenhal inviting houses from across the realm, even the Iron Islands and the North who were traditionally excluded from such events were invited this time.

But from the start the Nobility who were adept at playing the game and reading between the lines, and the King who saw daggers in every shadow were extremely suspicious of the tourney which was announced by Lord Walter Whent 3 moons after he was visited by his brother, Ser Oswell Whent of the Kingsguard who was well known to be Prince Rhaegar's biggest supporter on the Kingsguard after Ser Arthur Dayne . The rewards offered by Lord Walter were three times greater than those offered by Lord Gardner in the tourney in honor of Prince Viserys's birth at Highgarden in 274 AC. The lavish prizes offered by Lord Whent brought hundreds of challengers to the tourney and also enticed the nobility to attend for the size of the prizes indicated good food, wine and entertainment would be on offer.

Among those in attendance were Prince Rhaegar and his family, All the great houses of Westeros and most of the nobility, so much so that while earlier people laughed when they heard that the lower levels of all 5 towers and the giant gatehouse had been cleaned and prepared for the tourney now they praise House Whent's foresight.

As word of the tourney spread it soon became apparent it was an event that must be attended for it seemed that someone had made it known that many of the great houses would be searching for matches at the tourney.

It was in the years leading up to Harrenhal that the board was set and the pieces were put in place, it was at Harrenhal that the first move was made

Chapter 16: A Rebellion and a New King.

Chapter Text

The Grand Tourney of Harrenhal began with all the pomp and celebration that was promised. Lords and Ladies from all over Westeros feasted and enjoyed themselves. The tourney was to last ten days, with five days of jousting, a melee competition, an archery contest, an axe-throwing contest, a horse race, and a tourney of singers and there were two mummers shows each day, one Westerosi and one Braavosi. Lord Whent had spared no expense for Harrenhal was clearly the Greatest Tourney of the Age.

Between the large number of ladies in attendance and the charming and song-like atmosphere Harrenhal would soon become filled with Noble maidens being courted by dashing young knights. The most prominent were the many would-be husbands of Lady Cersei Lannister, who clearly was the most beautiful and desirable Maiden in the Tourney. The Daughter of Casterly Rock had many admirers, though she gave them little of her time. Her father Lord Tywin Lannister who had come to the tourney to secure a good marriage for his daughter seemingly having given up the dream of her being queen, was looking to secure alliances for Casterly Rock.

Also present and showered with much attention was Lady Catelyn Tully the daughter of Riverrun who had attended with her family and her foster brother Lord Peytr Baelish. Among the men who were courted the most desirable match was actually Lord Baelor Hightower, for even though present were Lord Robert Baratheon and Lord Elbert Arryn the Lord and Heir to Great houses respectively the paranoia and disfavor of the king towards these houses had become known dampening their desirability for no house wished to come under the attention of the Mad King.

Similarly despite Lady Cersei's beauty and wealth she barely had more men vying for her favor than Lady Catelyn for again the kings distrust and disfavor for House Lannister was well known and it was said that the only man people feared more than Tywin Lannister was the King himself.

However despite the somewhat subdued clamoring of the lower nobility for a match with the Great Houses it became clear very quickly that the Great Houses would prefer matches amongst themselves. Seeing the madness of Aerys II and knowing of his distrust of them, the Great Houses had sought to ally with one another to defend themselves from the Crown. As such Lord Tywin came to secure a match with Lord Elbert or Lord Baelor for his daughter. Lord Robert Baratheon had been ruled out due to his drinking and whoring, as well as the fact that while he could raise more men he was poorer than House Hightower, had fewer ships and unlike House Hightower would not bring further ties of importance, his mothers family being minor lords. Also of concern was that fact that he had decided to attend while his younger brother Lord Renly was supposed to be sick preventing his brother Stannis or any other family from attending, not the kind of man one would want on their side thought most Lords.

Of similar mind to Lord Tywin was Lord Hoster and it seemed that it was just a matter of matching one and the other would be set. Unfortunately for the two Lord Paramount's Lord Elbert was seen no more than five steps away from Lady Myranda Royce. Lord Yohn Royce, Lady Miranda’s uncle, at least seem to encourage the match and the Lady in question herself clearly had no objections but one person who did was Lord Jon Arryn. Lord Jon wished to use his heir to secure a match with a Great House, though he was much divided on the matter of which one. For one he mistrusted Tywin Lannister, but on the other hand the Tully's were in some ways the least of the Great houses of Westeros, Richer than the Baratheon, Starks and Greyjoys in the mind of Lord Arryn but less able to corral their bannermen. However Lord Elbert would not be moved and argued that between their fleets and the bloody gate a united Vale would be more secure than allying with Riverrun and the that while Casterly Rock was mighty marrying Lady Cersei would mean they would tie their fate to Tywin Lannister who everyone knew the King would strike sooner or later.

As such a battle of sorts erupted between Lady Catelyn and Lady Cersei to secure the hand and favor of Baelor Hightower. By the middle of the tournament though, it is reported by those there that only Lady Catelyn showed any real enthusiasm and even that was tempered it is said by sad sighs and longing glances while looking toward the Royal Pavilion where her would be husband Ser Jamie was.

As the festivities continued the people laughed and celebrated, the only thing marring the otherwise perfect tourney was the Guest of Honor, the King, himself. If the rumors that spread in the years past were not enough then the tattered appearance of Aerys II did confirm to all who had not visited the Red Keep, few that they might be, that the rumors were true and the King was mad. This was aided by his behavior as the days went by did. His moods swung without warning, and his eyes seemed to see anyone who approached him with suspicion. At times he would appear almost kindly and charming to a person, only to berate and insult him after a minute. However worrisome this was for the realm most of the lords and ladies ignored it, preferring to turn their attention to the activities. For by now, the Realm and nobility, horrified as it was over the burning of people for the kings entertainment was merely waiting for the king to die and the Silver Prince Rhaegar to take the throne, another similarity according to Grand Maester Pycelle with the time of Aegon the Unworthy.

The sweet song of Harrenhal continued for 7 days until the Joust ended. Prince Rhaegar Targaryen was champion of the joust, defeating four knights of the Kingsguard, though whether it was due to merit or because of his status is not known. When the time came to accept his reward and crown his Queen of Love and Beauty, the song stopped and the dream shattered. For when he took a Crown of Winter and Summer Roses from Lord Whent’s Daughter who had been the reigning queen, he moved towards the stand, but rather than stopping in front of his wife, Princess Elia, as was proper he chose Lyanna Stark as the new Queen of Love and Beauty, placing the crown in her lap with the tip of his lance.

This immediately sparked a furious rush of whispers as the gathered nobility tried to discern the meaning of what had happened. Lady Lyanna herself ducked her head, unwilling to meet anyone’s eyes especially that of the Princess Elia and the Dornish lords out of shame.

This move, for whatever reason it was made, did nothing to calm the King down who was once again spiraling in his madness and paranoia. For him this move by Rhaegar to win favor of the Starks was nothing short of treason, the first step by his son to use the North, the Vale and the Stormland's for his rebellion. As it was the king was extremely suspicious of the whole tournament which he suspected had been an attempt by Rhaegar to start the flames of rebellion.

His suspicion of the Great Houses plotting against grew over the next three days and on the last day of the tournament as news spread like Wildfyre that Prince Rhaegar had left with Lyanna Stark it boiled over. For when Brandon Stark came to the King in anger, seeking justice, the King was convinced it was just a mummer farce. As such he had Brandon Stark arrested and after declaring him guilty of treason he ordered him to burned in front of the present Nobles. As no Wildfyre was present the men were required to build a pyre. As they were doing so Brandon Stark broke free of his bonds and seized a sword, only to find Ser Gerald Hightower, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard as his opponent. The battle was fierce with Brandon Stark winning first blood. In the end as it seemed that Brandon Stark might overwhelm the White Bull, Ser Barristan the Bold also intervened at the command of the King.The Heir of Winterfell was no match for both the men combined and he was captured again, tied to the stake and burned.

The execution of Brandon Stark, the Heir to the Lord Paramount and Warden of the North had shocked everyone there. The King then declared that the Nobles in particular the members of the Great Houses assembled there which included Lord Tywin and his twins, Lord Hoster and his entire family including his ward Petyr Baelish, Lord Gardner and his family were to accompany him to the Red Keep officially for their safety but no one was under any illusion they were anything but hostages.

The King then ordered that the Arryn, Baratheon's and the remaining Starks be brought to him to face justice but by the time the Kings men went, the three families and their men had already fled. For Brandon Stark was no fool, perhaps he had not acknowledged just how mad the king was but he was no fool. As such even before he went to the king he had let his brothers and Eddard's friends know. The three Great Houses and their nobles thus quickly packed what they needed to make the journey to Moat Cailin and the Bloody Gate in case they needed to flee. When some including Robert Baratheon and Benjen Stark objected to fleeing Brandon quickly shut down the argument, making his brother Benjen swear an oath to flee if Eddard commanded it and then commanded Eddard to make sure Benjen was safe. From the recollection of those present it is clear that Brandon Stark expected at most to be thrown into the black cells for some time and only made plans for his brothers to escape to reduce the leverage of the King in any negotiation in case the temperamental king took offense to Lord Brandon's call for justice , but that was tragically wrong and not to be.

When Lord Brandon went to the King he was followed by Stewards who kept a watch from afar. It’s a good thing Lord Jon Arryn insisted they be Arryn stewards, to make it less likely that they too would be seized, for no man of the North would have walked away when the king ordered Brandon Stark to be burned but they weren't and so they ran back so that the parties could get away. In this they greatly benefited from Aerys paranoid nature for in any other situation the Kings guards would have secured them the moment Brandon had confronted King Aerys II. But the kings men would dare not leave his side without an express order. Knowing they were outnumbered, were running out of time and that the king could not be reasoned with they fled. Later Benjen Stark would claim that leaving Harrenhal while his brother burned was the vilest and hardest thing he had ever done.

As word of the events at Harrenhal break out the whole of Westeros is in shock. No one could now doubt that King Aerys II was mad for he had killed the Heir of a Great House without even the semblance of a trial. Further of great shock to the people was the actions of Prince Rhaegar. For many Prince Rhaegar was the only one in the Targaryen Dynasty they could put their hope in, now he had abandoned his wife and kidnapped the daughter of Winterfell, a maiden no better than a child in the opinion of many.

The only thing to debate was, who would declare war first?

The answer came in the form of orders from Aerys II to his Lords Paramount and to the Realm at Large. In what is now known as the "Last Decree" King Aerys II declared Lords Arryn, Baratheon and Stark and their families to be traitors to the realm. Demanding that to come to Kings Landing to answer for their crimes. In response Lord Arryn sent his own ravens to all the Houses of the Realm, in it he announced that he was raising his banners in rebellion against king Aerys and would only accept the judgment of a Great council in the matters at hand, declaring that his honor demanded a stance against the murder of the Heir and the kidnapping of the daughter of a Great House.

As Lord Stark and Baratheon also sent their own declarations war had finally come to Westeros. Fighting began in the Vale of Arryn. Though Jon Arryn called for all his banners, not all of his bannermen sided with him chief amongst his opponents were Houses Grafton and Corbay. Lord Grafton called the other loyalists to aid him in barring the rebels from entering the port of Gulltown. Gulltown's defenses eventually fell after a short siege, with Robert Baratheon who was first over the walls slaying Lord Grafton in the taking of Gulltown. Robert sailed to Storm's End to call his own banners as well.

However just as not all the lords in the Vale had sided with Jon Arryn, not all the lords in the Stormlands sided with Robert Baratheon and Storms End. The first major battle in the Stormlands took place at Summerhall the now ruined third seat of House Targaryen. They were three battles, in truth, all fought in one day. Lords Grandison, Cafferen, and Fell had gathered their hosts and planned to join forces at Summerhall. From there, they would march on Storm's End. However, thanks to an informer, Robert learned of their plans and rode with his knights and squires to Summerhall, where he attacked each host in turn. Robert killed Lord Fell in battle.

Lord Cafferen and Grandison, as well as Lord Fell's son, The Silveraxe, were taken captive and brought to Storm's End when Robert's returned there after the battles. There as the full host of the Stormland, at least those who headed Storms Ends orders gathered, Robert turned his enemies into friends, as both Lords Grandison and Cafferen, as well as Silveraxe would later be loyal to Robert. Following his victory at Summerhall, Robert was now free to march north, to join up with Jon Arryn and the Northmen.

Meanwhile as the Vale and Stormlands were being secured by the rebels King Aerys II was not idle. He had Lords Lannister, Gardener, Tully and Prince Martell ready their armies for war. Aerys II even sent word to the Iron Islands offering Lord Greyjoy to strip away all the restrictions on the Ironborn placed by his ancestors if he agreed to fight for him

With Aerys II holding hostages they had no choice but to fight. Furthermore, no one gave the rebels much of a chance, most believed the North could raise only 30 or maybe 40 thousand men at most while the Vale and Stormlands could add 40 thousand and 35 thousand each. Especially once considering the divisions, with half the Stormlands not siding with Lord Robert the rebels had less men than the Reach alone as it was believed then, making a rebel victory impossible.

As the various Lord Paramount's return to their seat, they each raised their armies, though only the Dornish and the Tully's would command their full Hosts to be raised. For despite of Lord Quellon's declaration of fighting for King Aerys the Lannisters and Gardners did not trust the Ironborn, hence Highgarden only raised 50,000 troops and 50 Redwyne ships for the war. The remaining troops and most importantly the ships were to guard the Reach. Similarly despite the Westerlands at full strength raising some 45,000 men the entirety of the Westerland fleet was to patrol its shores instead of joining the Iron fleet as it raided the North. Similarly, 20,000 men were left to defend the Westerlands by Lord Tywin, taking the 25,000 he raised to the Host gathering in Riverrun.

It was around this time that the Northern Host, composed of some 15,000 calvary and 10000 infantry, led by Lord Eddard burst through the neck. Though it should be noted that with them came 5000 carts pulled by very well shaved northern cattle allowing the Northern troops to move quickly as they raced down the Kings Road to the Inn at the crossroads where they were to meet the Arryn Host.

The next major battle was the Battle of Ashford. Lord Robert marched out again, leaving his younger brother Stannis Baratheon in charge of Storm's End. At Ashford, Lord Randyll Tarly fell upon Robert's forces. Lord Randyll was the first of the loyalists to arrive, and defeated Lord Robert's forces before Lord Garland Gardner could arrive with the main Host from the Reach.

During the battle, Lord Cafferen was cut down by Randyll Tarly, who sent his head to King Aerys II. Lord Robert managed to escape capture with the bulk of his forces, to join his strength with Lord Eddard Stark and Lord Jon Arryn. Following the battle, the Reach Host would lay siege to Storms End by both land and sea with the land siege lasting closer to a year and the siege by sea being broken in some 6 months.

King Aerys, due to the events in the Stormlands where Robert defeated three loyalist houses and due the inability for the Vale houses to stop Jon Arryn, came to believe that his Hand of the King, Lord Owen Merryweather was weak. Lord Owen was stripped of his titles and seats and exiled. Lord Jon Connington a friend of Rhaegar's was made Lord Hand and was sent to raise a host from the Stormland Loyalists houses while the King sent the White Bull to go and find Prince Rhaegar.

Lord Jon Connington was under tremendous stress at this point for failure could doom him and his house. On the other hand success may even see his house being made Lords Paramount of the Stormlands for the Conningtons had been one of the strongest of the Stormland Houses and had been traditional rivals to Storms End. He led a mighty army into the field with his own houses troops forming the vanguard. The forces he commanded gave chase, and Lord Robert's march became a grueling one. Robert, wounded through unknown means, and all alone, eventually took refuge at Stoney Sept in the Riverlands which would become the site of the Battle of the Bells, the first major battle known to have taken place in which all the Major rebel factions were present.

Lord Hand Jon Connington's forces took the town by force and began to search every house. The residents of the town were actively helping Robert however, and despite the search, the offered pardons and rewards, the threats and the hostages Connington took and hung in crow cages, they could not find Robert. The people of the town, pious and proud, had heard of the sins of House Targaryen and disliked the King greatly, believing that burning the common criminals of Kings Landing for simple crimes such as theft was immoral and wrong.

The battle truly began when Lords Stark and Arryn arrived with a rebel army. The soldiers fought in the streets and alleys and on the rooftops, and the Septons rang the bells to warn the residents to lock their doors. They would also ring the bells periodically in a particular pattern to alert the people that the battle still raged, giving the battle its name. The battle was fierce, and Lord Jon Connington managed to wound but not kill Jon Arryn's cousin son, his nephew Lord Denys Arryn.Eventually as the rebels were able to take control of most of the city, Robert Baratheon came out of the Peach, the brothel in which he had been hiding, and fought with Connington, almost killing him.

Suspicious of the loss at the Stoney Sept, King Aerys exiled Jon Connington, stripping him of his titles. King Aerys began to realize that Robert was the greatest threat to his dynasty since Daemon I Blackfyre, and he named Lord Qarlton Chelsted as his Hand of the King in Connington stead for he had also proven himself to be incompetent. Lord Jon's Connington squire and his brother were thrown in the black cells, though considering they made it out of the war and King Aerys II reign alive they were one of the lucky ones . Ser Jonothor Darry and Ser Barristan Selmy of the Kingsguard were sent to rally Connington's men.

After at first refusing to send aid to Aerys, both due to his caution as well as due to his anger over Elia's treatment, Prince Doran Martell had agreed to send ten thousand Dornishmen to Kings Landing. Along with these troops, Prince Rhaegar soon arrived. He had travelled from the south, from the direction of Dorne and had travelled through the Stormy Sept and the Reach camp at Storms End where to honor the Prince and break the will of the Baratheons Lord Garland would host a feast in full sight from Storm End. The Prince Rhaegar would agree with the Gardner approach and formally forbade the storming of the keep and killing of his cousins. As he moved north he would also take command of 25,000 of the 50,000 Reachmen besieging Storms End and march with them to Kings landing, intending them to join the army being built up at Kings Landing. The Prince would also call the combined Tully Lannister host to march. It was composed of just 50,000 men, a full 15,000 short of what is should have been for Houses Mallister, Blackwood and Frey had refused the orders of their liege and had not sent troops claiming they needed their men against Iron Born and Crannogmen.

House Tully would face further embarrassment when news came from Kings Landing that Lysa Tully was pregnant with the child of Lord Peytr Baelish and the king had ordered them to be married as a way to humiliate the Tully's for the way they eagerly tried to marry their daughters to traitors of the Crown. Lord Hoster Tully who dreamed of marrying his daughters to the heirs of the great houses now had the poorest of the Vale lords as his goodson showing the Gods and King Aerys II do love their japes. The marriage took place in the Sept of the Red Keep and was performed by the High Septon. It is said while the King was bored, the nobles amused at the humiliation of House Tully, the servants fearful as always that they would catch the eye of the king and be burned and the Groom upset that he would not get to marry the trout of his choice, the Tully sisters themselves were happy. Lady Lysa loved Lord Peytr Baelish and for her this was a dream come true, meanwhile Lady Catelyn despite feeling her foster brother was not of good enough rank and status for her sister was still happy that her sister was happy, and is said to have stayed up for many nights helping to make her wedding gown.

As the marriage occurred and Lysa Tully became Lysa Baelish, the Rebel force abandoned the Inns at the crossroad and moved north when they heard that Lord Rickard was bringing the rest of the northern forces to the south. At this point the rebels had 50,000 troops while the Royal forces marching to confront them had abut 110,000 thousand. The rebels could not even attempt to meet one army before hand to prevent them from meeting up for in terms of numbers they were either matched or outnumbered by the Royal Hosts. However just as the Royal host left Kings Landing the tenor of the war changed. From the west news came of the Battle by Cape Kraken where the Norths western fleet smashed the Iron Born who were not expecting battle till they made shore or were close to Bear Island. This cost them dearly with Lord Quellon dying and the shattered remains of the fleet fleeing south having brought only enough ships and men for some reaving of defenseless villages, not actually fighting a sea war. Within a Sennights time news also came of the Manderly fleet numbering some 150 ships attacking Kings Landing at night, burning a large chuck of the Royal Fleet. This was soon followed by news which came from the Stormlands, that fleets belonging to Lord Saltstark and Lord Ramsgate had smashed the Redwyne fleet at night, who despite receiving word of the Manderly fleet in Blackwater bay were feeling secure and thus were taken completely by surprise when they were attacked. This fleet broke the naval blockade of Storms End bringing relief to the defenders who were only a sennight away from eating leather boots it is said.

All this focused the mind of the Royalists and placed great emphasis on the next battle as news came from the Northern Riverlands of a Large Host of unknown number bursting out of the neck and marching south a moon or so ago. As the Royal Host merged at the Inns of the Cross road and marched north the Rebels would meet with Lord Rickard at the banks of the trident. He had come with an additional 70,000 troops of both infantry and Calvary; and It is said that seeing such a large number of troops under the command of House Stark even after contributing 25,000 earlier was incomprehensible to the Vale and Storm Lords. At first some claimed that they were troops of the Golden Company or the Company of the Rose for they could not conceive a wasteland willed with savages could field such large and well equipped forces, conveniently ignoring the non-savage, well equipped and well supplied force Lord Eddard had brought with him and with whom these Lords had been fighting alongside with.

The idea of Winterfell matching the armies of the Reach both impressed and puzzled the gathered southern lords for all their lives they had been told the north was a poor land, something Lord Eddard had not disproved, for he did not act like the son of a wealthy Great house. He was careful with his money, disdainful of frivolous baubles, unused to multiple feasts, called the purchase of expensive and exotic food to be a waste, and did not spend much on his clothes which were well made but plain, not much different from his peers and less expensive and elaborate than the clothes of not just Lords Robert and Elbert but also of Lord Denys . It turns out one should not judge a Northerners wealth by his clothes, as the Southern Lords soon learnt for even Northern lords commanding more and better equipped troops were dressed in plainer outfits. With this boost to their numbers the rebels suddenly outnumbered the Royal forces and with now renewed hope and faith they waited.

The Battle of the Trident was the decisive battle in the war. Fought between the main loyalist and rebels Hosts under the command of the senior leaders from each side, the battle took place at a place known as the ruby ford since the battle, located on the northern bank of the Trident, where Rhaegar tried to cross the river. It is said by many a western lord that they heard Lord Tywin swear when the royal forces finally saw the size of the rebel host. With the expectation that they would meet a much smaller force Prince Rhaegar had driven the army hard hoping to use numbers to make up for the rebels advantages in being rested and of having picked the location. Now however they were trapped. Prince Rhaegar knowing he only had one choice ordered the charge and began the battle. During said combat Prince Rhaegar and Lord Robert Baratheon met in single combat with the battle raging on all around them. Prince Rhaegar managed to wound Robert before Lord Robert killed Rhaegar with a blow to the chest from his Warhammer. Eventually, the Targaryen host broke and ran when Prince Rhaegar died and then a force led by Elbert Arryn was able to surround and capture Lord Tywin Lannister who was acknowledged as the Prince's second in command meaning the Royal Army was without leadership to continue in battle.

After the Battle of the Trident was fought, Robert proclaimed his intention to claim the Iron Throne. Out of all three leaders of the rebellion, Robert had the better claim, due to the fact that his grandmother had been Princess Rhaelle Targaryen, the youngest daughter of King Aegon V Targaryen. To justify Robert's claim, the maesters would later use his blood ties to House Targaryen, though it was conquest which won him the throne. However right then this was not a unanimously popular proposal. Chief amongst Roberts detractors were House Stark which posed a large problem for not only did House Stark's force comprise 3 out of 4 men of the rebel host, the Starks were the ones providing the gold and provisions to the rest of the rebel forces at this point for they had large and plentiful supply trains and the rest of the rebels did not. Lord Rickard was against the proposal because to him Lord Robert claiming the throne detracted from his endeavor of seeking justice for his son and ensuring the return of his daughter. In the end Lord Jon Arryn was able to convince Lord Rickard to at least consider the matter at the great council which was to be called at the end of the war arguing that putting a son or grandson of Aerys II on the throne would only lead to tragedy in the future.

Because Robert had taken a wound from Rhaegar during battle and because of the disagreements on what the actual aims of rebelling were, the rebels spent a sennights time at the Ruby ford. During this time the Royal forces were able to regroup and organise. But soon they were split into two. One part lead by Prince Lewyn Martell and Lord Hoster Tully wished to remain in the Riverland's while the other lead by Kevan Lannister and composed of the Westerland troops wished to march to Kings Landing. In the end Lord Kevan left with half the Westerland troops leaving the rest to the other commanders who created a camp next to the Saltpans, the seat of House Cox, on the Kings Road. Meanwhile hearing of the results of the battle of the trident from a raven sent by Lord Whent of Harrenhal, and with the siege of Storms End over for practical purposes Lord Garland made a decision. As Storms End had been fully restocked and he had been forbidden from trying to take it by force by Prince Rhaegar, Lord Garland refused his goodbrothers offers of sending more ships, instead House Gardner began moving its troops towards Kings Landing leaving not even a taken force.

Meanwhile in Kings Landing already prior to the Battle of the Trident, King Aerys had been preparing his wildfire plot. After the rebel victory at the Battle of the Bells, King Aerys II was fearful that the rebels might actually win the War of the Usurper as it was called in the Targaryen Court, for surprisingly he was perhaps the most aware man in the south that the North was not the wasteland everyone else held it to be and that despite his honorable nature Jon Arryn might not actually accept a Grand Council verdict if it did not sate the Old Falcons hunger for power. The Mad King enlisted the aid of several members of the Alchemists' Guild in a plot to destroy the city of King's Landing should the rebel forces prove victorious.

Ser Jaime Lannister was present when this was planned, while the rest of the Kingsguard was absent or with Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. His Hand of the King, Lord Qarlton Chelsted, however, eventually became suspicious of the frequency with which the pyromancers visited the king. When he discovered the king's wildfire plot, he attempted to change the king's mind, and when nothing worked, he choose to resign his position. For this, Aerys had him burned alive as a traitor. Following the Trident, Aerys named Rossart, his favorite pyromancer, as his new Hand of the King. He would only be Hand for a moon. Meanwhile, Aerys sent his wife, Queen Rhaella, and his new heir, their second son, Prince Viserys, to Dragonstone for safety, where they would have the protection of, amongst others, Ser Willem Darry, Ser Gerald Hightower, Ser Oswell Whent, the Master of ships Lucerys Velaryon and the remainder of the royal fleet. Aerys refused to allow Rhaegar's wife, Princess Elia Martell, and their children Rhaenys and Aegon the latter of whom he had stripped of his position as heir after his father loss, to leave the city, keeping them by his side instead.

While the Trident is seen by many as the decisive battle of the war, the Royal Keep remained untaken until the Sack of King's Landing, the last major battle of the war. As the rebel force approached they did so quickly but also cautiously not repeating Prince Rhaegar's mistakes. By this time the bulk of the Royal Host decided to make their way to Kings Landing especially not just the Lannister forces under Lord Kevan but also the Gardner forces would be arriving there, allowing the Royalists to merge forces and smash the rebel forces.

However before anyone else Lord Kevan Lannister, who had refused to stay in the Riverlands, appeared at the gates of King's Landing with an army of twelve thousand men, a hours before Gardner forces would arrive and a mere day before the main rebel and loyalist hosts would. Lord Kevan professed his loyalty to King Aerys II and asked to be let in so that he may help defend the city, and while Lord Varys counseled Aerys to keep the gates locked for the Lions were not to be trusted no matter if their name was Tywin or not, the king chose to listen to Grand Maester Pycelle and open the gates to Lord Tywin's brother and men believing that with the Lannister twins in his grasp he had complete control over Lord Kevan who Westeros till that point believed to be a mere servant and follower of his brother. Once inside, the forces from the Westerlands began to sack the city.

Upon the realization that all was lost, Aerys ordered Rossart to ignite the wildfire caches throughout the city, wishing to leave the Rebels nothing but “ashes and bones”. He ordered Ser Jaime Lannister, Lord Tywin’s eldest son and the only knight of his Kingsguard present in the city, to kill his uncle and bring his head to Aerys. Instead, Ser Jaime killed Rossart, and upon the realization that Aerys would simply give the order to burn the city down to another pyromancer, returned to the Red Keep and murdered King Aerys himself in the throne room, mere seconds before soldiers from the Westerlands entered.

Ser Gregor Clegane and Ser Amory Lorch ,the mad dogs of the Westerlands, had been ordered to hold the rear with brother by Lord Tywin so that the Royal forces would be able to capture at least some of the rebel lords alive. As such unlike many of the other Westerland lords they been able to join the retreat, and now on Lord Kevans orders had entered Maegor's Holdfast to deal with the rest of the royal family, to secure the throne for Robert who Lord Kevan presumed would be the next King, and to prove that House Lannister had forsaken the Targaryens forever. Ser Gregor killed Prince Aegon Targaryen, Rhaegar's son and heir in front of the child's mother, Princess Elia Martell, and then raped Elia herself with Aegon's blood and brains still on his hands, if not for Lord Kevan entering at that very moment Ser Gregor probably would have murdered Princess Elia at that time. At this same time Ser Amory dragged Princess Rhaenys Targaryen from under her father's bed and killed her, stabbing her half a hundred times, her screams being the demonic music to her mothers rape. In the end Princess Elia was secured in the maiden vault under Lannister guard.

When Garland Gardner arrived in the city, he found Ser Jaime seated on the Iron Throne and King Aerys II's corpse slumped below it. It was Lord Garland who proclaimed Ser Jamie "Kingslayer" a title which has stuck with him since.

Lord Garland was wroth at the Lannisters for their betrayal but his hand was stayed as his wife and children who were now in Lannister hands. After brief talks between Lords Kevan and Garland the forces of House Gardner stood down and made camp in the Black keep in return for all the Reach Nobles. Lord Garland with the agreement of Lord Kevan also sent word of the massacre and sack to Dragonstone and then ordered the Maesters to send ravens to all the Keeps of Westeros announcing the Death of King Aerys II and the children of Prince Rhaegar and the announcement of a Grand Council in Kings Landing.

When the Royalist forces arrived and found that the Targaryens had been betrayed and worst of all Princess Elia's children murdered fighting almost broke out, with only the threat to Elia's life and that of the other hostages such as Lord Tullys daughters preventing a battle, one which the Lannisters would surely loose on account of their inferior numbers. In the end the arrival of rebel forces at a later point was what truly reduced the prospect of further bloodshed between the Lannister and the rest of the Loyalists. Lord Kevan yielded the Red Keep to Eddard Stark and Elbert Arryn without delay, even displaying the three Rebel banners on the Red Keep before they arrived. Lord Kevan also presented the bodies of Rhaenys and Aegon Targaryen and when he made princess Elia enter the Throne Room to present her as well and to formally transfer her to rebel custody the Princess is said to have gone hysterical at the sight of the children's bodies screaming their names and calling them as if her voice could guide their souls back to their bodies and bring them back to life. Lord Eddard and Elbert would quickly cover the bodies up with their own cloaks and order the Grand Maester to use milk of the poppy to put the Princess to sleep. As the rest of the rebel forces entered there was mixed reactions. While Lord Rickard like Lords Eddard and Elbert was wroth over the murder to innocents especially as they had been promised a Great Council where Aegon's claim was to be heard, Lord Jon Arryn was neutral for while he was uneasy with the murders was happy with the path to Lord Roberts coronation being cleared. Lord Robert was in turn pleased by these deaths finding it a fitting end for the House who had murdered his parents and almost wiped out his family.

This resulted in an argument between Lords Eddard and Robert over honor, justice and the limits of conducts in war and words were said which damaged their otherwise deep friendship. Lord Eddard would then ride out with 500 men to find his sister the next day, for he wished to get away from the city and wished to find his sister. Lord Garland had informed Lord Eddard that Prince Rhaegar had returned from Dorne before coming to the Red Keep and thus that was the likely location of his sister. In the days that followed the Sack of King's Landing, Ser Jaime Lannister sought out and killed Wisdoms Garigus and Belis, the remaining two pyromancers aware of the wildfire plot.

As Lord Eddard left to find his sister the remaining Lords began planning for the future. Ravens were sent to all the corners of the realm announcing the end to war. The Lord Paramount's of all the Kingdoms barring Dorne and the Iron Islands who were already present in the Red keep also summoned their vassals though many were already present. Over the coming moon much arguing was done mostly between the rebels themselves on what to do now especially as Dragonstone was silent.

Near the Red Mountains of Dorne, the northern party found the Sword of the Morning and the finest knight of Aerys II's Kingsguard, Ser Arthur Dayne. Along with a small troop of 10 Dayne men he was guarding a tower which Rhaegar is said to have named the Tower of Joy. The Northmen and Kingsguard's men briefly fought but despite their valor they lost quite badly without extracting even a single northern casualty for even when it came to only the northern crossbowmen the Dayne men were outnumbered 5 to 1. Knowing his reputation 25 of the crossbowmen would initially attack Ser Arthur during his charge on Lord Eddard while the rest would wipe out the remaining men who charged with their Lord. By most accounts the men had already accepted their deaths and had only made such a blatant charge so that they may die on the battlefield with Honor.

Only Eddard Stark and his trusted companion Otto entered the tower. According to the tale told by Lord Eddard to the Royal Court, inside the tower Lord Eddard found his sister, Lyanna Stark, who extracted a promise from Lord Eddard to take her back home. The Lady Lyanna died shortly after with her brother by her side. Lord Eddard later tore down the tower, so he could use the stones to make cairns for the 10 dead Dayne men.

Afterwards, Eddard traveled further south, to Starfall, where he delivered the famed sword Dawn and the bones of Ser Arthur who to Arthur's sister, Lady Ashara Dayne. After Princess Elia returned to Dorne, Lady Ashara would serve her again though it is said the ghost of Arthur Dayne's death would always haunt the women for Princess Elia would always blame Ser Arthur for not stopping Prince Rhaegar, absolving the prince of his own action a position that Lady Ashara found both hurtful and maddening.

In between the Battle of the Trident and the Sack of King's Landing, Queen Rhaella and her son and Aerys's new heir, Prince Viserys, had been sent to the island of Dragonstone by the King who felt it safer than Kings Landing as the Manderly fleet had long been driven out of the gullet by the Royal and Velaryon fleets. Not that it was hard for the Manderlys were told to preserve their strength and as such left without any resistance, fleeing or retreating rather than fighting.

Once news came of the sacking of Kings Landing Queen Rhaella crowned her son with the Crown of her Great Grandfather King Maekar in the Throne Room of Dragonstone. Despite invited to come to Kings Landing to attend the Great Council called, Queen Rhaella was no fool and when one considered it was her own "loyal" bannermen who had slaughtered her grandchildren she made the decision to flee.

The Master of ships was sent to Braavos with the Half of the Royal Treasury which had also been sent to Dragonstone. Passing out of the gullet without resistance . There he opened an account in the name of the Queen with the Iron Bank. He also sold the bulk of the royal fleet to gather more coin in the account. Meanwhile the Queen after sending ravens proclaiming the rightful reign of King Viserys III to show House Targaryen had not and will not give up their rightful claim to the Iron Throne despite Aerys II and Prince Rhaegars Folly, fled Dragonstone in a small fleet of three ships with her son and their closest advisors including the three remaining Kingsguards. For many years the destination of this fleet would be unknown with most coming to believe that House Targaryen had perished at sea with the gold in the Iron Bank being stolen by the former Master of Ships. Though this was not true.

And so as Lord Eddard Stark begins his journey to Kings Landing and the Nobles of Westeros travel attend to the Great Council from across all the realm barring the Iron Islands, Lords Jon Arryn and Robert Baratheon finalize the plans on what all to offer to the Great Houses at the Great council so that they would peacefully accept Robert as king.

As the war ended and the Great Council commenced, The question in the minds of all the Westerosi was now, What happens next?

Chapter 17: The Reign of King Robert

Chapter Text

The Great Council of 281AC was one of the most consequential and tense. Emotions ran high, for the first time since the conquest a person other than a Dragon would sit the throne for with Prince Aegon dead and the self proclaimed King Viserys III having fled Westeros and disappearing across the narrow sea, Robert Baratheon not only held a claim to the throne through the right of conquest but also through his Targaryen Blood.

And so as a new order was founded the Lords of Westeros began to make sure that they would not be left out of it. Many wives were offered to Robert, both from Rebel and Royalist Houses. Many more offered their services to fill the many offices of the Seven Kingdoms. Some even approached Robert to offer their heirs as royal cupbearers and squires.

And it was not just the Nobles, Merchants tried to convince the new king-to-be to lower tariffs while the High Septon petitioned the Demon of the trident ,as some called him, for a seat on the small council. Robert refused all these requests and offers, declaring that all this was to be handled by the man who would be Hand of the King, Jon Arryn who similar to his youth threw himself into the politics of the Realm, ensuring the support of Roberts claim.

Soon Prince Doran and the Dornish Lords, the last missing faction other than the Iron Born, who frankly were not missed, had arrived and the Great Council commenced formally. It was run by Grand Maester Pycelle and the Archmaesters of the Royal Citadel with the Maesters from each of the Great Houses also participating and keeping them honest.

Like the Great Councils of the old, while all Lords had a vote, in reality it was decided by the Great Houses. Knowing that a bloody war could still continue and that the victory of the rebels had been in large part due to the rest of the realm underestimating the true strength of the North, Lords Jon Arryn and Robert Baratheon knew they had to heal relations between rebel and royalist forces.

Recognizing the injustice committed to Elia Martell Jon Arryn did his best to please the Dornish, returning the bones of the fallen lords and that of the slain Prince and Princess. He also pledged to essentially release Prince Lewyn from most of his oath by offering to expand the number of Kingsguard and then to assign Prince Lewyn to protect Princess Elia for the rest of her life. Lord Arryn also promised her a large and appropriate stipend for the rest of her life. However Lord Robert and Lord Jon to the eternal anger of House Martell and Dorne forbade the handing over of Kevan Lannister, Gregor Clegane and Amory Lorch. Only Stripping them of their knighthoods as punishment for they did not want to alienate Casterly Rock. Also while distasteful and dishonorable the Lannister forces had indeed done them a service in removing competing claimants for the throne.

Prince Doran while wroth over the murder of this sisters children and her rape knew he had no means of inflicting revenge just then, for Dorne's forces had been defeated in the war. Also he knew that he would find no support from the rest of the Realm. As such he was forced to accept the offer and agreed to bend the Knee.

Though it is said that what actually convinced him to do so was a request by Princess Elia herself who is said to have refused further bloodshed which may bring the pain she felt to another mother, having no interest in continuing a now pointless war which may cause the sons and daughter of others to die for no reason, because no amount of war would bring back her children and Princess Elia did not care for the Iron Throne.

And so the first act of the Great council was to Crown Robert of House Baratheon the King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm of Westeros.

Robert Baratheon thus became the head of the new Royal House Baratheon of King's Landing. However this was just the beginning. King Roberts first act was to issue the Grand Pardon to all those involved in the fighting and take all the houses who would bend the knee into the Kings Peace.

At Lord Rickard insistence and with the strong support of Elbert Arryn but surprisingly not Lord Jon Arryn, King Robert would be made to issue the Great Charter, a binding commitment by King Robert which also bound all those who claimed the throne through him. The Great Charter would formalize many of the traditional and unwritten rights of the nobility. Most importantly for the Starks, who were haunted by the death of Lord Brandon, it contained the guarantees known as Lord Brandon's clauses.

These were:

“No man shall be seized, imprisoned, dispossessed, outlawed, exiled or ruined in any way, nor in any way proceeded against, except by the lawful and fair judgement of the law of the land.";

“To no one will the Crown sell, to no one will the Crown deny or delay right or justice" and

"Never shall the Crown sentence men to be burned alive nor shall the Crown inflict cruel and unusual punishments unsupported by tradition and law ”.

Among the many impacts of the Charter would be the formal acknowledgement by the Crown that there were limits to its authority and that certain rights and privileges of the Nobility could not be voided by any King. Along with the rights given by Lord Brandon's clauses the Great Charter also guarantee the freedom of religion to the followers of the Old Gods, the Drowned God and the Faith of the Three Sisters.

Other rights reinforced were-

The upholding of traditional rights to Inheritance,

The right to regulate and tax trade in their lands so long as it conformed to the laws,

To enforce order and justice so long as it followed the Kings Law,

To petition the Crown and its offices,

To travel and trade across the Realm without hindrance so long as the Kings Peace was kept and his tariffs paid,

The right to raise armies and fleets,

The right to build and maintain keeps,

The right to travel from the Realm and return,

To trade with Essos and the lands across the sea so long as the Kings tariffs were paid,'

And many more.

This Charter while signed and sealed by King Robert was as part of its proclamation also ratified by the Great Council to make sure a king could not simply decree its end on his own. Copies of the Charter, 11 of whom sealed with the new Royal Seal and that of all the Great Houses in Attendance, were sent to all the Great Houses, along with the Winterfell Collegium and the two Citadels. Other copies bearing only the royal seal were sent to the Principal Bannerman of each Kingdom, All the First Septons and Cardinals. Lord Rickard Stark would pay for masons to carve the Great Charter into large slabs of stone which once completed was displayed in the Red Keep, two more copies of the Charter would be carved in stone in both Royal Andal and in Winterfell First tongue in the runes of the First Men and displayed in the tourney grounds outside Harrenhal on the location where Brandon Stark was burned.

Today the Great Charter is celebrated to be the beginning of constitutional governance in Westeros with many of its clauses still in effect.

The Great Council would also see the three Great Accords.

The First was the Baratheon Family Pact and was primarily composed by Lord Eldon Estermont, the eldest uncle to the Baratheon brothers. In it Stannis Baratheon would be granted Storms End as well as the right for him and his descendants to use the title of Prince in the Dornish style. Making him Prince Stannis of the Stormlands. Their younger brother Renly would be given the Isle of Dragonstone and the Lordship of the Stepstones and would be made the Prince of the Narrow Sea, though Prince Renly would not be a Lord Paramount, rather would serve under the King with his domains and vassals being considered part of the Crownlands.

The Second was the Accord of the Direwolf and the Stag. Rickard Stark had drafted it with the advice and input of Lord Jon Arryn. In it he received the new title of Prince for House Stark, again in the Dornish style. Now Prince Rickard also got Robert to declare that the Crown would protect the sacred Godwoods and Wierwood trees, and that for any settlement to maintain a city charter it would need to have a proper Godwood open to the smallfolk. This lead to the creation of the first Godwoods in centuries in the settlements of Seaguard, Lannisport, Oldtown, the Eyrie town, Gulltown, Saltpans, Lord Harroways town and the City of Highgarden which caused great anger among the clergy of the Faith of the Seven who considered opening these new Godwoods heresy.

The North was also given more control over taxation, with significant relief for the reign of Robert and his next successor or 49 years whichever was longer. As part of the taxation portion any unpaid taxes were also forgiven.

The North was also allowed to officially maintain its own set of laws, allowing the north to escape the "Andal shackles". The north would also reform its judicial system greatly in the years to come.

The North would be allowed to mint its own copper coins so long as they displayed the image of King and were made interchangeable in weight and composition with those minted by the Royal Mint. Hence soon afterwards Winterfell would begin to replace copper stars with copper trees and copper penny's with copper leaf's. This particularly pleased the Lords of the North, many of whom hated having the Star of the Seven on their coin.

Prince Rickard would also separately receive a promise that House Stark would be represented in the Small Council. This was done both to appease Prince Rickard, but also as Jon Arryn wanted, and the new Baratheon regime needed, to signal to the Realm that the Stark's and their large army would continue supporting the new dynasty. However the Northern Lords were initially split on how they felt about this. Some of the Northerners who prized their isolation were not so happy but it pleased others who wised to gain more power, after all they had received significant concessions from the Crown and more would only make things better.

The final of the three Great Accords was that Between the Falcon and the Stag. House Arryn would join the Martells, Both the Baratheon's and Starks as a Princely House of the Realm. Like the North, the Vale was also given more control over taxation, though without significant relief in the overall level of taxes, merely in its composition. This was for Prince Jon Arryn had other ambitions. These ambitions would cause some initial discontent among his lords when the first part of the Accord was announced as they had wanted the same relief from the Kings taxes as the Stark's and Northmen got. However like the North any unpaid taxes were also forgiven. The Accord also reduced taxes on Gulltown, particularly when trading with Essos.

The Crown would also give Lord Denys Arryn significant lands around the Blackwater Rush and the Gods Eye river in both the southern Riverlands and the Northern Reach. Lord Denys would also receive the right to build a keep and a town at the intersection of the Blackwater Rush and the Gods Eye river, similar in style to Riverrun and the cost of the keep and the town would be paid for by the Crown.

This would give the newest Cadet Line of House Arryn tremendous influence for through these land not only would he supply a significant amounts of grain to Kings landing but could also control its river trade, using their keep to control the flow and scale of river trade between the Riverland's and the Reach with Kings Landing . Lord Denys Arryn would become one of the richest men in the realm, and once his seat was complete in 286 AC it would become one of the most strategically important ones.

House Arryn would also receive the Crowns permission to build and maintain a quarter of the Royal fleet. While the ships would be built at Gulltown, it would be stationed and maintained in a new fortified port called Falcons Port on some land on the Bay of Crabs, the admiral of the fleet would be suggested by House Arryn though formally confirmed by the King. With the costs of building and staffing it coming from the Crown, as the ships were considered part of the Royal Fleet, House Arryn received a major boost to their naval power, upsetting the power balance in the Narrow sea, without any of the costs. This right had previously only been held by House Velaryon of Driftmark who controlled the Royal Fleet of Driftmark, and unlike House Arryn they had held the post of Master of Ships so often that it was almost a hereditary office.

On its own these terms would have stirred some discontent in the Vale for the prime beneficiaries of this accord would have been only House Arryn. And while Prince Jon Arryn would have simply ignored these for he was too busy building a legacy that would change Westeros, luckily for the Lords of the Vale his nephew Prince Elbert would not. Prince Elbert who had greatly been impacted from his journey to the North, and who had heard about Houses Gardner and Lannister building paved roads in the Braavosi style wanted similar roads for the Vale, having seen their benefits when he traveled to the North.

Prince Elbert would ask for and receive from King Robert the right to build roads in the Braavosi in the Vale, with the costs borne by the Crown for House Arryn could not afford it otherwise, at least in order to build it in any reasonable time scale. With a total cost estimated over 1 and a quarter millions gold dragons to pave just the main roads of the Vale east of the Eyrie, the crown would pay this enormous sum in yearly installments over 15 years as it did not wish to drain its own coffers, with the installment then being used by House Arryn to build the roads. And while House Arryn's bannermen would not receive relief on the Kings taxes they were content that they would get such strong roads, whose tales from the Westerlands and the Reach had reached the Vale, for free. They were also especially gratified to hear Prince Elbert's promise that any leftover gold would be used as tax relief.

Once these three accords were over then came the turn of the Royalists who were taken into the fold.

First were the Dornish who were reconfirmed to their lands and titles. They were also given what Prince Jon Arryn promised, essentially releasing Prince Lewyn from most of his oath, and assigning Princess Elia a large and appropriate stipend for the rest of her life

Next came Lord Hoster Tully who was made to swear oaths of loyalty, with a promise to elevate him to Princely Status in the future once he proved his fealty. Not much was changed for House Tully otherwise.

Lord Tywin was also reconfirmed his titles and lands in return for his allegiance with again a promise to elevate him to Princely Status in the future once he proved his fealty. However he was denied his golden heir, Ser Jamie even in the same capacity as Prince Lewyn. This was as King Robert ,and more importantly Prince Jon Arryn, felt that since the Lannisters were defeated and had committed such a horrific crime that the Crown did not need to appease the lions that much and that saving lord Kevan from the wrath of the Dornish was reward enough. Prince Jon also was wary of Lord Tywin and wished to keep some leverage over him, further a small part of him still resented Lord Tywin for his role of hampering his march to glory all those years ago.

Lord Garland and House Gardner were also reconfirmed their titles and lands in return for their allegiance with again a promise to elevate them to Princely Status in the future once they proved their fealty. However the loss of valuable land to Denys Arryn was for them a bitter pill to swallow as not only had they personally held some of the lands given to Lord Arryn and hence lost those revenues but also due to the fact that the new keep would lessen the importance of Northgarden and thus their own influence.

King Robert also formally made Prince Jon Arryn as his Hand of the King. Also on the first day King Robert appointed Ser Barristan Selmy as the Lord Commander of his Kingsguard.

King Robert listened to Prince Jon's advice and also reconfirmed Lord Varys, and the Grand Maester, Pycelle, to his small council.

New members of the council included Lord Windstrider's second son Rickon serving as Master of Coin and Lord Eldon Estermont ,the Kings uncle, serving as Master of Laws. Despite his young age and recent appointment as Prince of the Stormlands and Lord of Storms End Prince Stannis was also appointed as Master of Ships.

Other decrees as part of the first part of the Great Council included:

King Robert allowed Ser Ronald Connington, Jon Connington's younger brother to keep Griffin's Roost, although most of House Connington's lands were granted to neighbors which ended the threat posed by one of the larger Stormland rivals of House Baratheon of Storms End.

King Robert would also forbid the flying of the banner of the Three Headed Dragon.

He also decreed the removal of the skulls of the Targaryen dragons in the Red Keep's throne room. Half the skulls would be given to the Winterfell Collegium and House Stark at Prince Rickards request causing Grand Maester Pycelle to request the other half for the Royal and Oldtown Citadels which was also granted. Indeed one can see all the skulls if they visit these institutions today.

As the first part of the council ended, the Northern party led by now Prince Eddard returned to Kings Landing with the bones of Princess Lyanna. It seemed in a final insult to his wife Prince Rhaegar had hid the woman he abducted in the homeland of the wife he abandoned.

When in the morning the news was announced Princess Elia is said to have begun laughing in the Great Hall, laughter so loud and striking that it silenced all the other nobles. Soon her laughter became cries and the Princess began begging the nobles gathered ,though to no one in particular, to tell her with Lyanna Stark dead what had she suffered for? What was the war for? And who was she to hate now that Lyanna turned out not to be a northern witch but a dead wronged child? Questions no one was brave enough to answer.

With this however the next phase of the Great Council became much more complicated and with much higher stakes for now was the time when the matches between the realm were to be made, binding the houses who had been at war. Earlier it had seemed likely that Lady Lyanna would be offered to be made Queen, however with her death there were now many choices. And while the most advantageous title was indeed that of Queen there were plenty of matches to be made.

In the end Robert had agreed to marry Lady Cersei the most beautiful maiden of the realm but this had come at a high cost for Lord Tywin. For he had to pay a large dowry of what was said to be one million gold dragons, but Lord Tywin agreed to the price without flinching it is said. As part of these negotiations Lord Tywin attempted to take back his Golden Heir Ser Jamie. But it is said that Prince Jon had been the one to lay out a choice of vows on Lord Tywin to prove to him that he no longer held the power he once did, it is said he made Lord Tywin choose between having House Lannister either Make a Vow or Break an Oath. Further it is written in the court records that while Lord Tywin had originally chosen his son, Ser Jamie, to be released from the Kingsguard his son had refused and thus Lord Tywin agreed to make his daughter Queen, a slight it is said Queen Cersei never forgot and never forgave her father for.

The Marriage of King Robert and Lady Cersei would end up getting occurring about 6 moons after the end of the Great Council.

Other matches made would include the betrothal of Prince Stannis to Lady Catelyn Tully, with Lord Hoster Tully getting a very desirable match. Though it is said his joy of Lady Catelyn becoming a Princess was matched only with the disappointment in his second daughter, the now Lady Lysa Baelish. Though all records agree that despite the disappointment of her father and the low status of her husband, she was happy in her marriage and greatly anticipating the birth of her child. The match between the Prince of the Stormlands and the Lady of Riverrun was to be fulfilled in a years time, 6 months after the Kings.

These would secure the Riverland's and the Westerlands for House Baratheon who through blood now held the Crownlands and Stormlands and through friendship held the Vale and the North.

Further matches included the betrothal of Prince Elbert and Lady Myranda Royce and that between Lady Myranda's younger sister Lady Hillary Royce and Lord Baelor Hightower. This would both allow Prince Elbert to marry the woman he desired and also give Prince Jon the match he greatly desired for Lord Baelor's aunt was the wife of Lord Garland of Highgarden. House Gardner and more importantly House Hightower were also satisfied. For even if Lady Hillary as the second daughter of a second son was on her own was not high enough for the heir to House Hightower, through her sister she brought a clear link to House Arryn and could link the Reach into the new Grand Alliance shaping Westeros.

Though it should be noted that it would still be some years before the Reachmen would truly be welcomed at court, even with this link, as House Baratheon did not easily forgive the defeat they faced by Lord Tarly or the siege of their ancestral seat.

At the Great Council Lord Denys Arryn would also ask for Lord Jacaerys permission to marry his daughter, which the Lord grants. Thus Lady Daenaera Velaryon would become Lady Daenaera Arryn, Lady of Falcons Rush.

Many would attempt marriages between their daughters and Eddard Stark for the 100,000 troops the north had amassed had made them the most powerful realm in the seven kingdom. This was while the Reach could match them in the number of men raised overall, its boundaries were easily invaded being flat land bordered by 4 of the kingdoms. While on the other hand everyone knew that it was impossible to take the North by land. Combined with the navy they had on each coast the North could probably tip any war towards the side they supported. However to the disappointment of many Prince Eddard is already married for he had been betrothed to Lady Marla of House Reed before the war and had married her in the time between Harrenhal and leading the men of the north to battle in the Godwoods of Moat Cailin.

Many other more minor matches were also made and soon after ended the Great Council and began the reign of the Stags. Whether it would last was yet to be seen. For orders come and orders go, but the same old game continues.

The Reign of King Robert Baratheon had not started with the best of circ*mstances. The realm still was healing the wounds of Robert's rebellion, the Royal treasury was half empty due to Queen Rhaella’ decision to drain the coffers of Dragonstone and with the Targaryens missing the fortune was lost for the Iron Bank refused to the release the money and the Crown had no leverage to use against it. Furthermore with the war there was an absence of law and order, this meant that the realm was under siege from bandits from every corner.

Handling all these problems was a great task, requiring a wise and involved king. Unfortunately for the realm, King Robert was a warrior, not an administrator, and hated what he called “counting coppers”. This meant that the task fell of the Hand of the King Jon Arryn, who luckily for Robert was both skilled in administration and intelligent .

It soon became clear, to all especially to those in the Red Keep, that despite making the claim for the Iron Throne with the support and encouragement from Jon Arryn, King Robert found he did not like his kingship and of the two men only Prince Jon Arryn was happy with Robert being King. Robert changed by becoming king, and not for the better. He found business concerning coin, crop, or justice tedious.

In his first year as King Robert barely attended small council sessions, and mostly did not bother in the years after, preferring to hunt and hawk instead. Even when he had been cajoled into attending he usually dozed through them leaving the task of ruling to his small council, mostly to Prince Jon Arryn and Prince Stannis Baratheon, his younger brother and the master of ships.

Already after one year of his reign his love to organize tournaments and feasts over performing his duties was apparent to the court.

Furthermore his hobbies had begun to slowly draining the treasury which while healthy also bore many costs including-

repairing the city of Kings Landing,

redecorating the Red and Black Keeps for Robert wanted to limit the reminders of the Targaryens,

rebuilding the Royal Fleet,

building the new Royal fleet in the Vale,

Building the Falcons Port,

Building the Falcons Rush (which was the seat of Lord Denys Arryn),

the cost of the gold sent to the Vale to build the Vale roads,

and a hundred other costs related to the realm.

The Crown would also spend much gold in building large Septs, 7 in total with one dedicated to each aspect of the Seven, in Kings Landing in order to appease the Faith. For Prince Jon knew just how much influence the faith held in the politics of the realm and its importance in legitimizing the rule of King Robert. Furthermore many of the concessions to House Stark had angered them and something needed to be done to appease the Faith and win its loyalty.

Also borne were the costs for the various weddings decided at the Great Council. The Crown bore the cost for the weddings of the King and the Queen, Prince Stannis and Lady Catelyn, and even those of Lord Denys and Lady Daenaera, each along with being grand and expensive on its own was accompanied by tournaments and large distribution of alms to the people of Kings Landing. While Master of Coin Lord Rickon Windstrider was initially concerned the resumption of trade and the large dowry of Queen Cersei helped allay his fears.

The only part of his duties as king Robert regularly attended to were short expeditions to root out the bandits but soon even these faded due to a lack of bandits. As such in many ways King Robert was King only in name with Prince Jon acting not just as Hand of the King but also in many ways as a Regent.

This may have become to much for the Hand, but in running the realm Prince Jon Arryn quickly found a boon in Prince Stannis Baratheon who despite his recent marriage announcement and ascension as Prince of the Stormlands had decided to split his time between the capital and Storms End giving the Prince Hand an ally who he could depend on. And despite his young age Prince Stannis was very capable, diligent and intelligent he would be wise and decisive in wielding the offices and responsibilities he had been given. Prince Stannis was able to concentrate most of his attention in the running of the realm as he had appointed Lord Lomas Estermont, his uncle and the youngest of the three Estermont brothers, to act as High Steward of the Stormlands and of Storms End in his absence, making sure the seat and primary pillar of House Baratheon would not be neglected or fall into disrepair.

It was Prince Stannis, who after a few months of arguing, was able to arrange for the removal and replacement of Grand Maester Pycelle, finding him untrustworthy. He was replaced with Grand Maester Garth, formerly of House Gardner a move demonstrating the reach of the Reach was long indeed. Now just Maester Pycelle the former Grand Maester continued to be bound to the Red Keep and became the Queens personal Maester.

And while he was not happy Prince Stannis agreed to keep the Eunuch Varys for his skill was unmatched, though both the Hand and the Master of Ships would search high and low for a replacement for many years.

Princes Jon and Stannis also began to replace the men who held office during the reign of King Aerys II with their own men. Unsurprisingly many had protested these decisions and went to King Robert to complain, however Robert being completely unsympathetic to their cause upheld the decisions. This split the Royal court, as the now dismissed lords, along with other wanting power began gathering and working together to regain their influence. Many would find a patron in Queen Cersei who seemingly never remembered that her father had been part of the losing side of the war and that she was now a Baratheon. Indeed in one famous incident she threatened to burn a tapestry and throw its weaver into the Black Cells for it showed Royal forces including the Lannister one being defeated in the Battle of the Ruby Ford, a depiction which she found unacceptable and demanded they be shown, contrary to history, of being on the winning side.

In a bid to increase her own standing and degrade that of the Vale and the Stormland she began to support many of the now dismissed lords. As such two factions, the stags, led by Prince Jon Arryn and Prince Stannis and the lions, lead by the Queen Cersei emerged.

At first it is a simple string of victories for the Stags where only those issues and offices contested by the two which were deemed mostly of relatively minor importance being won by the Lion faction. Despite this the fighting between the two was still fierce for while they were out of favor now, Lord Tywin Lannister had over two decades as Hand of the King built a deep network of supporters and one which would not be so easily up rooted. It also helped that the Queen was not above buying additional support from the members of court.

These political struggles along with other plots and scheme grew in both number and intensity as the first anniversary of Robert's rule approached. This was as the realm wasfinally returning to the state it was before the rebellion. While this meant that the most immediate concerns and problems were taken care of, the nobility now had the time, energy and resources to begin to do what they did best. Fight for power and influence.

The latter half of the first year of King Roberts reign saw much joy for the stag faction and many a symbolic loss for the Lion faction, this was as Lady Myranda, Lord Elbert’s wife , and Lady Catelyn Baratheon both announced they were pregnant. This contrasted with the Queen, with her still flat waist, leading to rather unfounded and malicious whispers of the queen being barren.

However all would not remain well for the Stag faction who in the ninth month of 283 AC had to deal with the first crisis of King Robert's reign. The crisis first began when the North had sent its taxes to the Iron throne. While they arrived on time and each region of the north was accounted for they were both too low and too high.

In that they were low as always with the North taxes being among the lowest in the Realm when one considered it held half the land of the realm. In total, its contribution being more than Westerlands, Vale and Riverland's but as a constant second to the Reach despite its much larger size.

A reminder that due to the tax guarantee's given by Aegon the Conqueror to then King Loren Lannister after the field of Fire the Westerlands despite being the richest region was in terms of taxes similar to the Vale and Riverland's

While in previous years such a relatively low tax compared to its land had led to no comment, as everyone believed the north was a poor frozen wasteland, that delusion had been shattered by the Stark's assembling 100,000 well armored, well supplied men to fight in the war and fielding large navies on both coasts. This meant that even if the south indeed had much more fertile land, relieving the North from paying half the tax of the realm, the Stark's should at least be paying as much as the Reach if not more.

But at the same time the taxes were too high because the taxes sent were only slightly less than the amount the North had sent last year, even with the various discounts and reliefs they had received meaning their taxes should have been halved not reduced by less than one tenth. Therefore it could only mean that the North had been underpaying its fair share of taxes to the Iron throne for decades if not centuries and with the tax forgiveness for the unpaid taxes of previous years the North had been able to get away with it.

Despite the text of the Accords being as clear as Myrish glass many lords and nobles in the south began demanding justice and that the North pay its share of the taxes. The Queen Cersei, searching for a way to secure her standing and influence after all those rumors of being barren, led the charge and began positioning herself as the one who would ensure equality and justice in the realm. However while many were outraged, few proposed any plans to rectify the situation.

After all the Accord was clear and the King was friends with Eddard Stark and was unlikely to punish his friend harshly or indeed at all, especially as the Stark's with their large Northern Armies were his most powerful ally. Also everyone in the south knew that it was very hard to invade the north by sea and impossible to take the North by land, its frigid waters, rocky shores and the swamps of the neck preventing any large scale invasion.

Further both the King and the Prince Hand refused any attempt to remove Lord Windstrider from his office as Master of Coin or even make an attempt to amend the Accord.

Many of King Roberts new vassals would come to resent the Stark's and the North because of this perceived injustice and its sudden hold on the power of the Realm and it was here that the first whispers of the puppet king would be heard.

In the meantime as the days of the year 283 AC came, it seemed the whole realm was busy with talk of babies, so much so that the year was immortalized in the song “The Great Wombs” . This was as many of the marriages between the Great Houses at the end of Robert's rebellion had begun to bear fruit. In the Vale Princess Myranda gave birth to Jasper Arryn. At Storm's End, Steffon Baratheon came howling into this world. In Kings Landing, in a manse where they stayed for parts of the year as their keep was being built, Lady Daenaera gave birth to Alyssa Arryn. Also just before these births word had come from the North that Prince Eddard had gotten his wife with child within a moon of returning, with Prince Robb Stark being the first of the new generation to being born after the Great Council

But the truly shocking news came from Casterly Rock where Lord Tywin had in the past year announced his marriage to Lady Yana Brax. For having deemed his son Ser Jamie a lost cause and refusing to let his son Tyrion become Lord of Casterly Rock, Lord Tywin had decided to marry again. Taking to bride the woman he had considered for his son Jamie if for some reason his preferred match with Catelyn Tully had fallen through.

Lord Tywin would announce the pregnancy of his new wife who would end up giving him two sons, Lords Loren and Tion Lannister. With the Lady Hillary Hightower also announcing that she was with child it seemed that the only couple without a child on the way was the royal couple.

However the concerns were premature for the Grand Maester soon announced in a few moons that the Queen was pregnant. As such the realm now began to anticipate the arrival of the royal babe. Many nobles and smallfolk alike began placing wagers about the babe, with some offering good odds for a green eyed, black haired daughter named Cassana after the King's mother.

After months of wait and after the year died, the Queen gave birth and the realm got to know its future King as Prince Joffrey Baratheon, The son of King Robert and Queen Cersei and Crown Prince of the Seven Kingdoms was born. As the court marveled at the royal babe many began wondering about his future, surely it would be bright, after all he would likely inherit his Lord Fathers strength and charisma as he definitely had his mother's golden hair and green eyes.

As the years pass however the hope of a wise king taking the throne after the madness of Aerys that characterized the earliest parts of the reign of King Robert fade away for the Prince Hand Jon Arryn and the rest of the small council simply could not control the King and the King was unable to control himself. King Robert wasted so much money on tourneys and festivities that that he drained large parts of royal coffers. There was a small tourney held in Kings Landing every few month or so, with it not being strange if Kings Landing saw even four in a year. And even without a formal tourney there were melees and performances in the Arena which were well attended by both the smallfolk for whom it was free entertainment and for the King for whom it was a way to shirk his duties. It is written by many Lords at court that the King was seen more in King Aegon's Arena in month than he was seen in his offices in a year.

Each week was marked by a party for one reason or another and each meal was in truth a grand feast with the number of cooks and servers employed by the Red Keep growing. Large portions of the storage area and basem*nt were soon being turned into more kitchens and areas to prepare food, with the offices and stores being shifted away into the other keeps of the city. And while the Crown could bear these particular expense, and the cost of these festivities, King Robert made the unfortunate habit of promising much to the nobles who attended these parties with many of the favors granted costing coin. His whor*s and mistresses were showered with coin and jewels, and for each jewel the King gave away the Queen bought two in her spite.

It is said that there were so many festivities that by the fourth year it was commonly remarked that one could tell a nobles wealth based on how long they lasted before they ran out new clothes. While the crown was not yet bankrupt as the Realm had it highest income in years the gold in the Royal Coffers were moving in the wrong direction and slowly but surely the crown was losing its wealth. Even if it would take a decade for it to be drained at the rate of spending at the time, Lord Windstrider would send many ravens to Winterfell and to White Harbor complaining about the King and the courts wasteful habits.

But it was not just in matter of money where the king was too free, for 3 months into his second year, the second eldest Estermont, Lord Aemon Estermont and uncle of the Baratheon's invited the king to visit for Lord Aemon's wedding to a cousin of Lord Selmy. Lord Aemon Estermont was the heir to his elder brother, Lord Eldon, who was a well known sword swallower. His first wife and their 2 children had died in a fever outbreak a while back and now under pressure he had selected a newer much younger bride. While the Kings paying for the festivities and his generous gifts were much appreciated his behavior at the wedding was less so. For not only did the king openly travel with whor*s and mistresses on his ship, he also copulated with one of them, another cousin of Lord Selmy, in the wedding bed and as a result sired a bastard Edric Storm . Lord Edric would be the kings only recognized bastard and would be raised primarily in Storms End.

Five years after the Crowning of King Robert he would face the first challenge to his authority and like the challenge to King Aenys and King Aerys I it would come from the Iron Islands. Quellon Greyjoy, Lord Reaper of Pyke, desired to strengthen the ties of the Iron Islands with the rest of the Seven Kingdoms. His Ironborn had decided to support the Crown in Robert's Rebellion and they had thus decided to invade the north. Lord Quellon however would die in the Battle by the Cape as the Ironborn complacent about facing the land bound wolves were taken by surprise by a Northern fleet, shattering the invasion force before they could reave even a simple fishing village.

Quellon’s successor and eldest son, Balon Greyjoy, rejected the reforms of his farther and desired a crown for himself and independence for the Ironborn. Along with his brothers and many of their captains Lord Balon dreamed of the day when the Ironborn may once again reave the shores of Westeros and claim gold, treasures, thralls and saltwives like the Ironborn of old rather than haggling over goods like the weak Greenlanders as his father would have the Ironborn become.

Lord Balon had always been romanticizing about the Iron way and paying the iron price and had greatly been influenced by childhood stories of old Ironborn hero's. Also a factor was the time he spent in the Company of the Rose in his youth where he would take gold and glory on the back of his own strength.

While some would posit that a youth in the northern dominated Company of the Rose would make him sympathetic to the Starks, making one wonder why he sided with the Crown and decided to advocate reaving the North during the Rebellion. However the rejection of the Northern captains to his bid for the Office of Captain General of the Rose Company would lead to a deep level of resentment. Especially as he believed that it had been Winterfell which had blocked his bid through the cadet branches of House Stark in the company, who went by name of House Roseclaw and had always been influential in its decision making.

Since House Greyjoy had not joined the rebellion with its full strength ,as they had only assembled a small fleet for reaving not for prolonged battles, they did not suffer too heavy a loss. Over five years Lord Balon constructed a new fleet of one hundred war galleys, the Iron Fleet, and he slowly recalled all the Ironborn who had otherwise contracted with the company of the Rose as well as the other Ironborn sell sail companies.

Lord Balon believed that King Robert's rule was insecure, that the new King lacked support amongst the nobility and would not be able to muster a host strong enough against the Ironborn. Rodrik Harlaw, Lord of Harlaw who had built great wealth through trade and had even married both his brothers son as well his own to Greenlanders, unsuccessfully advised Balon against rebelling.

Five years after King Robert was crowned, Balon Greyjoy proclaimed himself King of the Iron Islands and led a rebellion against the Iron Throne. Beneath Nagga's ribs on the holy isle of Old Wyk, the priest Tarle the Thrice-Drowned crowned Balon with a driftwood crown.

Hoping to control the Sunset Sea, King Balon began his rebellion with the burning of the Lannister fleet at anchor, a surprise attack on Lannisport in the Westerlands planned by his brother Prince Euron and led by another brother, Prince Victarion, Lord Captain of the Iron Fleet. Prince Victarion tossed the first torch onto the Laughing Lion, the flagship of Tywin Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock. The victory at Lannisport gave King Balon freedom to launch an attack against Seagard and Blackpool in the Riverlands by Prince Rodrik, his eldest son. Prince Rodrik was slain by Jason Mallister, Lord of Seagard, during the storming of Seagard, however, and his reavers were thrown back into Ironman's Bay in defeat.

King Robert used superior numbers and resources to crush the rebellion for contrary to the belief of King Balon the Great Houses had, however begrudgingly, accepted Robert Baratheon as King, further even if there were those who wished him to fall they would never do so by allying with the Ironborn who had proven time and time again that they were not to be trusted. His brother Stannis Baratheon, Prince of the Stormlands and the master of ships, joined the entire royal fleet with the Redwyne fleet from the Arbor and ships from Oldtown and Seagarden. Knowing they were outnumbered the Ironborn laid a trap for the royal fleet in the shallow waters of the Fair isle strait, where the Iron fleet could sail but not the ships of the royal navy who required more depth if they did not want to crash into the rock that lay just beneath the water. Prince Stannis almost walked into the trap and he would later remark, and military historians would concur, that if he had then the Royal fleet would have been severely damaged.

The only reason this was not the case was due a smuggler named Davos who warned the Prince and even showed him how he could in turn trap the Ironborn and defeat them in these water. For Davos' crimes Prince Stannis took a finger and for his service he made him a Lord. Lord Davos took the name Seaworth for his House and requested and received the Lands on the Mouth of the Wendwater river where he would build a Keep and small village with a port. The Seaworth's would profit from the wood trade with Kings Landing and by being the conduit of trade between the villages of the Kingwood and the northern Stormlands and the wider trade networks of Westeros .

With the trap avoided the Royal Fleet caught and smashed Victarion's Iron Fleet in the Straits of Fair Isle. Many Lords on both sides including one of Rodrik the Readers sons and his Goodbrother, 5 members of various cadet branches of House Gardner and 3 sons of House Hightower's Oldtown branches would also be killed, while Aeron Greyjoy was captured and spent the rest of the war beneath Casterly Rock. Prince Stannis's victory over Prince Victarion near Fair Isle allowed Robert's forces to cross from the mainland to the Iron Islands.

Robert was supported by Prince Eddard Stark who had arrived with 25,000 troops with half from across the North including from the Winterlands and the other half from the western houses of the North such as Stonestark, Dustin, Mormont, Forrester and Glenshield. Also present was Lord Tywin Lannister, the Warden of the West who had rallied the entire Westerlands to fight back and Lord Garland who had supported the crown with the second largest number of men after the Westerlands and largest number of ships. Prince Stannis subdued Great Wyk in his brother's name while Ser Barristan Selmy, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, led the attack on Old Wyk. The islands of Harlaw and Orkmont were also invaded with a bloody battle occurring in Orkmont but Harlaw surrendering peacefully.

The final battle was on the island of Pyke, led by King Robert and Prince Eddard. The nearby Botley castle was destroyed, as was the town of Lordsport beneath it, before the main attack on the castle of Pyke was launched. Robert's forces assaulted the southern wall with siege engines, shattering the main watchtower and bringing parts of the surrounding wall down. Maron Greyjoy, the second of Balon's three sons, was killed in the breach. Thoros of Myr was first through the breach wielding a sword coated in wildfire.The fighting in the castle was fierce, but eventually the castle was taken. Jorah Mormont, Lord of Bear Island, who was shortly behind Thoros, and Jacelyn Bywater, who lost a hand during the fighting, earned knighthoods from Robert for their bravery. This action was somewhat controversial in the case of Lord Jorah as the King knighted them in the Andal manner but this was soon forgotten.

Now once again a Lord, Balon Greyjoy was brought before King Robert in chains, bent the knee and was forced to swear fealty once more to the Iron Throne. His surviving son, the nine-year-old Theon, was given into the care of House Stark as a hostage to ensure Lord Balon's good behavior.

While the king showed some improvement in terms of drinking and attending to some of his duties during the starting phase of the Greyjoy rebellion this did not last. The King also made error after error during the war. Not errors on the battlefield for he was a true warrior but errors in every other way. He indulged in whor*s while being hosted by his wife's family while at Lannisport, he alienated the faith of the seven by refusing to attend sermons before battles and tried to refuse his permission for the Iron Islands to once again let Septs and Septons come to the land, worrying about unrest which was a valid concern for the Crown indeed had to intervene later to protect the Faith in the Iron Islands, but still was an act which angered the more pious lords.

The King also let Lord Balon Greyjoy live almost guaranteeing another rebellion and gave his only surviving son Theon Greyjoy to Prince Stark to raise guaranteeing a future war in the Iron Islands for the Iron Born would not accept a Greenlander raised lord without a fight.

Further he regularly insulted many of his Lords by ignoring all courtly grace, courtesy's, and in half the cases forgetting the proper titles of the Lords and the names of their keeps and families if they were not from the Stormlands and the Vale. Instead the king delighted in being crude and brash, as if he was a mere green boy reveling in swearing out loudly for the first time, rather than a King who was meant to symbolize chivalry, earning scorn from the Reach lords in particular.

And of course the King ignored most of his duties, refusing to engage with Lord Garland and other Lords as they brought matters of administration to the Kings attention and demanded he send them to Prince Arryn, who was across the land in Kings Landing, to deal with making many wonder about just how much of his own realm did the King run. Indeed even after defending the realm in the Greyjoy rebellion King Robert would still get compared to Aegon the unworthy though perhaps less so. It is also in the aftermath of the rebellion that many would come to call Jon Arryn the shadow king of Westeros.

The war while short did put a dent in the Kingdoms coffers, especially as King Robert repaid much of the cost of the host his lords assembled. Also costly was replacing the ships lost, but it was not too bad a loss for the Greyjoys and the Iron Island Nobility would be required to repay the Crown for all the costs associated with the suppression of the Greyjoy Rebellion over the next 5 years, beggaring both the Greyjoys and the Iron islands. This would force them to make concession after concession to the Harlaws, the richest of the Iron Born Houses due to their ownership of the Harlaw Trading company, as well as to promote trade among their own captains to supply the gold they needed to pay the fines. However the Royal Coffers took a hit immediately, also an issue was a decrease in taxes from the disruption of trade in the Sunset Sea.

After the rebellion the crowns financial situation worsened as King Robert continued to throw celebrations, give generous gifts and would also aid Stormland Lord's who came to court for help in a manner so generous it sparked the envy and ire of the other lords, requiring more to be given to them to soothe their egos.

Also requiring more gifts and concessions was the fact that due to his misdeeds his own men were increasingly annoyed with the King. Lords did not like their daughters being made the Kings mistresses only for a night as if they were common whor*s, for they were not given the courtesy and advantages of being a King mistress when he simply slept with them, meaning they got all the dishonor for none of the gains. The kings habit of getting confused between the Noble ladies and the common born whor*s when he was deep in his cups of brandy did not help matters.

The Stormland Lords were also discontent over the Vale Lords taking too many offices, so were the Crownland Lords, and of course all were annoyed at the Starks and their low taxes.

Many also did not appreciate Winterfell providing only 25,000 men and relatively few ships to fight the rebellion with many a jape was being made about Prince Eddard Stark being the most honorable thief there was. Further the fact that only Denys Arryn had joined the fighting (who was now in any case a Riverland Lord) meant that the Vale was mostly absent in the war, also breeding resentment towards the Arryns and their grip on the Iron Throne and its offices. Soon it began to be said that "While the Baratheon's Reigned the Arryns Ruled"

Not helping matters was that in the years following the Greyjoy rebellion was that there was a break in the Stag faction which split into two, the new Stag faction composed this time of Prince Stannis's and Lord Hoster Tullys supporters while the new Falcon faction was composed of the Vale Lords and increasingly those of the Reach who after the Greyjoy rebellion were able to return to court but shunned by both the Lions and the Stags for various reasons.

Meanwhile the Lion faction continued to be composed of the Westermen and Crownland Lords. Of course it was not so simple and each faction held lords from other kingdoms but the broad outlines were clear. Perhaps most awkward was the situation for Lord Rickon Windstrider who was in essence the only Northman appointed to the Crowns offices, for any other northerner were simply serving in his personal office. Thus he is said to have become somewhat isolated, unable to develop his own true supporters to aid him in the intrigues of the court. But this isolation is also what allowed him to gain influence for by employing men of all factions to fill the offices under his purview Lord Rickon was able to threaten his participation in any of the other faction to extract concessions from all. Indeed Lord Rickon would soon become a crucial pivot in the court.

King Robert was generally uninvolved in all these matters, he was seemingly always on a hunting trip. He was already tired of the nagging of his small council on being a better king and of his Lords constant whines about being granted their many demands for coin, justices, etc.

Using a combination of guilt (Jon Arryn had persuaded him to take the crown), calls to duty (He was Stannis' elder brother and King) and inducements (essentially everyone else) he would be able to bribe everyone into being happy and prevent Princes Stannis, Jon, and Lord Rickon efforts to try and reform the Kings ways which may reduce the number of hunts, tourneys, feasts, wine bottles, brandy casks and whor*s, none of whose reduction was something which the King would stand for.

King Robert would grant many expensive gifts and favors to the Stormlords and Crownland Lords to soothe their anger, and would also do the same for his family. To his brother Prince Stannis he would give the Keep of Summerhall, fully rebuilt with the crowns coin for use as the seat of Stannis' second son Prince Orys, an act which the initiative of Princess Catelyn and an act which greatly angered the Queen who had just given birth to a son, Prince Tommen who in the Queens mind should have been given the Seat.

King Robert would also build and repair bridges and roads in the Stormlands and the Crownlands. These would be build in the Braavosi style, similar to the ones being built in the Vale, North, Westerlands and Reach. The high cost of the roads was one of the single largest expense of the Crown during this time.

Further contracts for materials would be given out at generous terms to many lords for the various works of Crown, and there were many works indeed. For example in 287AC as Robert returned from the Iron Islands the Prince Hand would order the building of the Prince Jon Arryn bridge and the King Roberts Bridge on the Northern and Southern edges of Kings Landing. One is a monument to King Roberts Victory in the Greyjoy Rebellion. The other was meant to symbolize and celebrate the new Royal Family but was renamed by the King from the Stag bridge to its current name to honor the Hand and his foster father. Of course while sincerely given this gift was also a transparent attempt to bribe the Prince Hand into not nagging the king.

The Plans for these under different names had been around since the reign of King Aerys II but they had never been built. The Prince Jon Arryn Bridge would be a fortified bridge on the northern edge of Kings Landing. As a fortified bridge it was built to be able to defends the approach by river with high walls on the northern side and with retractable iron Portcullis on each of the many, many arches of the bridge, allowing for river ships to travel freely in times of peace while allowing for the river to be blocked as needed, with the portcullis long enough to block the river even during times of drought or if rebels had somehow managed to divert or dam a portion of the mighty river. Due to the needs of the large fortifications and mechanisms, there would be no houses or shops on the bridge and despite being broader than the King Maekar Bridge in total by being nearly twice as wide, its public crossing would be much narrower. Barely allowing two small carts to cross. The King Roberts bridge would be its southern twin, though unlike the Prince Arryn Bridge it would not be open to the public as it connected to Aegon's High Hill and the Red Keep. As such the bridge would lead to a small new Keep or Gatehouse named the King Roberts Keep on the Southern side.

The building of the bridges, competed in the last year of King Roberts reign would be accompanied by the demolishing of the river walls of King landing, with it occurring a few years before the bridges were fully completed. In their place Kings Roberts Embankment would be built, still a very popular part of the city these days, filled with shops, taverns, inns, gambling dens and lots and lots of warehouses.

Of course all this construction and gift giving would drain the crowns coffers and lead to Lord Windstrider needing to borrow an increasing sum of money from the various banks of the Realm.

As the years passed King Robert also became a source of weakness for his own rule, increasingly overruling the Hand and Prince Stannis in appointments and rules to secure more debt from Casterly Rock and the Golden bank of Lannisport to fuel his expensive desires. For the small council did their best to limit the Kings excesses and vices and for a while they were successful in using the lack of gold as a reason, but this would come to haunt them as the Queen and the Lion faction were able to use this to gain power from the King. Soon the members of the Lion faction began to arrange ever greater loans from the Lannisters to pay for the Kings desires and then began explicitly exchanging said loans for appointments, thus each tournament began to lead to the undoing of the stag and falcon factions efforts to limit Lannister influence.

Even after the small council reversed course and borrowed to sate the kings desires, it was too late for soon enough the problem of interest rates came up and cost of simply maintaining the debt rose. The Lannisters began using their ability to lend coin at very low interest rates, lower than the other banks even those such as the Oldtown and Highgarden banks to demand more offices and the other factions were forced to agree, as they were unable or unwilling to agree to cuts in spending and thus the low interest gold borrowed from the Golden Bank became the only way to keep the Crown solvent. In the years to come many would come to call Lord Tywin Lannister the Third shadow King, After Princes Jon Arryn and Rickard Stark and the whispers of the puppet king would grow louder.

That is not to say many did not benefit from King Roberts generosity and thus gave him their loyalty. His Tourneys and melees allowed many to gain huge sums of coin, dragging more than one knight or house from poverty. King Robert also was generous to his whor*s and mistresses, and was kind to his vendors and servants, paying those working at the Red Keep and in the administration of Kings Landing more that the Targaryens ever had. Under King Roberts rule it came to the point that even the lowest street sweeper could live a life, not of luxury, but one of secure and basic comfort rather than the bare sustenance they had earlier, winning him the support of the Smallfolk of the City who called him King Robert the Good or King Robert the Merry

His large spending and that of his nobles and even of the smallfolk working for the Crown won him praise of the merchant guilds, shopkeepers and tavern owners. Similarly while the Vale and Stormland Lords fought each other for power both praised Roberts generosity and kind heart. Finally all members of the court were charmed by the constant feasts, festivities and celebrations. As such the Lords of Westeros soon became very pious in visiting the Red Keep and renewing their allegiance to the King, indeed it was often remarked that "in King Robert's court the nobles did not walk, they danced". Another jape was of lords complaining for lack of food to eat after they returned from Kings Landing for the at their own keeps they were only served 7 courses for a meal. Popular japes also included that "under king Robert there was no poaching, for he had already hunted all the animals", the more critical ones were "why does King Robert wear the crown? Because Jon Arryn needed to find something for him to do all day", "the puppetry guild has awarded Prince Arryn its highest honor, because of his great achievement……" (leaving the listener to fill in the rest- that the Prince had made the king into his puppet)

6 years after the Greyjoy rebellion as eldest Lord Estermont would grow older King Robert would let him retire with the Lord Eldon spending the most of his time at his vacation manse half a days ride from his castle, leaving his domains to his younger brother who became Lord Estermont in all but formality. Lord would live at the manse with his male lover, a second son from one of the cadet lines of House Hightower 15 years his younger.

Lord Elond had given loyal and diligent service to the king, his early tenure was marked with simply managing the offices he had been given but in the later half he greatly reformed the structures of the office.

His most infamous reform was to remove buggery and sodomy from the list of offences and clarify that sexual relations between two men would not be considered punishable in the eyes of the Crown, with buggery and sodomy being considered a sin and not a crime, similar to adultery. This of course was prompted by his own preferences and as mentioned earlier he was known to be a sword swallower by all, to the point that the master of ceremonies (after Lord Eldon complained to his nephew, the King) would formally include Ser Lyonel of Oldtown, Lord Eldon's lover on the official documents as the official consort of the Master of Laws.

Lord Elond would also greatly expand the courts of common pleas in kings landing, creating in total 7 courts to cover the entire city with four in the north and three in the south, each court would be staffed by 49 magisters. Lord Elond would also create the Court of Chancery system, with three benches in Kings Landing, two for the city and one for the crownlands. These would concern themselves with matters of Equity not addressed by the laws of the land. This system and the laws it formed would become one of the key legal institutions in Westeros, growing to encompass all the lands in the coming centuries and becoming one of the main ways with which the crown regulated merchant disputes. Till this day the Commercial Law Guild has a statue of Lord Eldon in front of its offices.

King Robert would appoint to the office his youngest brother Prince Renly despite his young age, arguing to the small council that he had appointed Stannis at an equally young age and he had turned out fine. Many would remark on the many similarities between uncle and nephew and Master of Bugger all would become an established insult for the master of laws, for obvious reasons.

Also around this time Lord Peytr Baelish, the goodson of Lord Hoster Tully would become a regular face at the Red Keep. After the rebellion Prince Jon Arryn had asked Prince Elbert to appoint him to a suitable position for the goodson of a Lord Paramount and a goodbrother of the future Princess Baratheon. As such Prince Elbert had made him Harbor Master of Gulltown where he was very successful, at least initially. However his success would falter somewhat in terms of growth though he was still bringing in a huge sum of coin, much more than his predecessors.

Lord Baelish and his wife would soon also feel unsafe as the number of murders in Gulltown would rise as the criminal gangs including those aligned with the guilds began to fight fiercely in one their periodic outbreaks of violence. As such he would get his wife to request Princess Catelyn to find a position in Kings Landing. Princess Catelyn would indeed be able to find him a decent office as one of the High Overseers of Taxes.

In this well compensated and suitably important sinecure position Lord Baelish had most of the day free once he fell into the rhythm of things, but unlike other nobles appointed to this role he would not spend his days dancing or to go hunting for a Sennight or two, return complete the work piling up and depart again. No, Lord Baelish to much scandal and to the shame of Princess Catelyn would become the proprietor of many brothels, and in the next few years would expand his range of services rapidly. Trading not just flesh, He borrowed huge sums of money by essentially using his marriage into two great houses as collateral. Using this borrowed sum Lord Baelish bought wagons, shops, ships, houses. He bought grain when it was plentiful and sold bread when it was scarce. He bought wool from the north and linen from the south and lace from Lys, stored it, moved it, dyed it, sold it. The golden dragons in his coffers bred and multiplied, and the who people mocked as Littlefinger for his low status would find that soon he would climb the ladder higher than his more noble and prestigious detractors.

During this time ,using the invites he received to all important events due to his marriage to Lady Lysa, Lord Baelish would soon become a known and then favored fleshmonger of the nobles, and soon particularly the favorite of the King, convincing the king to make him one of the many personal Valets and assistants the king traditionally has.

But again unlike the rest of the nobles who viewed it as an opportunity to take part in festivities for everyone knew the king did not actually do any work he deemed "copper counting" Lord Baelish would use this office to great effect. Using his closeness to the king by gaining the kings patronage for his businesses. Soon starting from whor*s and expanding to wines, to clothes and exotic foods and other luxuries Lord Baelish would be the first person the king would seek to make arrangements to sate his desires. Lord Baelish would also grow his list of clientele for the recommendation of a King is no small thing. Furthermore he would make many friends among the kings circle for he would happily takeover what few tasks and correspondences did indeed arrive at the Kings desk, in turn each of these nobles of course were happy to recommend the services Lord Baelish offered to their own friends.

Lord Baelish would become an increasingly wealthy and popular man, one who the nobles could rely on to get what they wanted and to do so reliably. However Lord Baelish would increasingly become mistrusted by House Velaryon of Kings Landing as they were surprised and alarmed by the rapid gains he was making in taking over the men of the lower offices of Kings Landing, something which he had been be able to do with the support of Prince Stannis as the Master of Ships attempted to reduce the influence of the Falcon faction which included House Velaryon of Kings Landing due to Lord Denys Arryns marriage to Lady Daenaera.

As the years passed the excesses of Kings Landing grew and grew, and so did the debts of the crown. In many ways the king became a symbol of the corruption of the new court and of the realm. While King Robert began his reign when he was young, vigorous, robust, and handsome but over the years he became bloated and fat. To the smallfolk, particularly those who lived in Kings Landing, King Roberts reign was a source of gossip and amusem*nt as well as a time of long summers, bountiful harvests and thus cheap food, strong law and order, large celebrations, tourneys about the realm and plentiful work at good wages to build the kings many projects. To the lords of the realm who did not stay at his court he was generous, wasteful, frivolous, but largely harmless. For most who were at court, and its many, many visitors the king was charming, generous, one who could make enemies become friends with but a word, a fun and gracious host and a jolly man. Only a few lords (among them Kings's brother Prince Stannis and his Household) saw him for what he truly was, a great friend but a terrible liege whose disdain for the intricacies of ruling or "counting coppers" made him nothing other than dangerous.

For not out of malice but out of ignorance he was undermining his own reign. Indeed even the many astute players of the Game of thrones such as the Old Falcon Jon Arryn, the Old Lion Tywin Lannister, the Queen of Thorns Olenna Gardner and the Silent Prince Doran Martell would not see the true dangers of Roberts reign until it was too late, for the latter three were too trusting on Jon Arryn on keeping things in check and Prince Jon, for all his faults such as his hunger for Glory, loved all his fosters sons too much to not indulge them even when he needed to be firm, including with the King. As such despite the façade of prosperity many seeds of destruction were sowed in King Roberts reign.

During this time, after near 10 years, on the throne King Robert was also increasingly bereft of true supporters at court. For sure there were many who sang his praises and many who wanted his favors but King Robert found that his court was increasingly filled with the worst kind of snakes as true men were corrupted or returned to their own keeps and lands. This unfortunately was increasingly true for the Stag and Falcon factions themselves.

While ultimately they were loyal and true to King Robert, who their leaders Prices Stannis and Jon both loved and cared for, after nearly a decade in the snake pits of Kings Landing and the realizing they could do nothing to reform the King the Lords composing the Stag and Falcon Factions would soon demand more benefits from the Crown. And both Prince Jon Arryn and Stannis Baratheon would give in to their vassals and to the poison of corruption if only to quell the growing discontent among their supporters and prevent themselves of becoming just nominal heads of nominal factions.

Always justifying it to themselves, at least partially, that it was for the good of the realm they would both use the Crown to benefit their own holdings. While the Arryns were far ahead in the matter with the new port, new roads and many offices they would be matched with the Baratheon's of Storms End who would also have the roads of the Stormlands paved with stone using the Crowns coin, accept and rebuild Summerhall and also receive tax breaks with which they would expand Storms End. Where as previously Storms End was served by the town of the Stormy Sept half a days walk away under prince Stannis a new walled village would be build closer. Prince Stannis would also tunnel the rock deep under the cliff which held storms end, making new stores to hold food, haunted as he was by the siege.

However all would not be good for the Stags of Storms End for during this time the Lannister were also increasingly gaining power and in order to demonstrate it, Queen Cersei during one of the many festivities, in front of the assembled court demanded that since Dragonstone was given to Prince Renly and Summerhall was given to Prince Orys a new seat should be found for Crown Prince Joffrey.

And the seat the Queen demanded was Harrenhal.

This would be considered by all both contemporaries as well as all historians to be nothing short of a silent (or rather not so silent considering how clearly everyone heard it) declaration of war, similar to Queen Alicent wearing the green dress and Princess Rhaenyra wearing the black dress during the tournament of 111 AC. For Harrenhal which had been granted to House Whent was indeed a prosperous seat with rich lands entailed to it, suitable for a crown prince to hold. And while over the years the Crown had indeed offered it to many houses currently it belonged to Lady Shella whose heir was Lord Edmure Tully younger brother of Princess Catelyn Baratheon.

While the Queens bid would be rejected then with the Black Keep being the official seat of the Crown Prince, the dispute over Harrenhal, and that between the two branches of House Baratheon, would greatly shape the politics of Westeros in the coming years.

Further expenses would come as the King ordered the construction of a large palace in the Kingwood to act as a hunting lodge. It base structure would be built relatively quickly for it was not truly tall, nor was it a keep. It was a stone and wood palace, longer than taller and only thee stories at its tallest point, But it would be very costly still for not only did the King, never a man known for his patience, order a building which would take 15 years to be built in 5 with work continuing by three shift of workers, working continuously, even through the darkest hours of the night it was also decorated lavishly.

The architect and the one who suggested and built it was Lord Alyn Velaryon of Kings Landing, Lord Jacaerys Velaryons second son. Basing it on the most lavish palaces of Essos, His design which he proposed not only through parchment but also a large painted wooden model, so inticate you could take apart the walls and roofs to see each corner, enamored the king.

Square in shape and part of a complex with support buildings for kitchens, stables, servant quarters and store houses, it had a huge decorated courtyard for parties, with the whole courtyard enclosed under a roof composed of a lattice of clear Myrish glass. Its two main walls were composed of Valyrian arches on all sides, both the inner wall facing the courtyard and the outer walls facing the forest. Each arch was covered with the Finest myrish glass providing excellent views of the forests from each room and of the courtyard from its hallways and its grander Royal suites which were broad enough to cover the whole southern wing of the building. For privacy one had thick and inticately patterned curtains of Nathi silk. Its halls were decorated with Volantene style sculpted wall depicting the deeds of the king and his forefathers. The main ballroom was filled with Helen Mirrors, the finest mirrors in the world. The Hall of Mirrors and the Kingswood Palace would be monuments to the excess of the Baratheon Regime and for proposing and overseeing its construction House Velaryon would receive the gratitude of the King, a reward of the sum of 100,000 Gold Dragons and the enmity of all Lords concerned about the growing debts of the realm with Lord Rickon, the Master of Coin, throwing his wine goblet at Lord Alyn on at least on three occasions over the growing expense of the palace.

In 295 AC on the five and tenth year of King Roberts Reign, the Keep of Falcons Keep would be completed becoming the seat of Lord Denys Arryn. He would leave his manse in the city and settle their with his wife and his children, who in order of birth were Alyssa, twins Shaera and Ronnel, and the youngest Lucerys. A grand tourney was held by the King at the new Keep to celebrate.

It was also during this year that Lord Varys reported that Prince Elbert had traveled with his house and his wards to the North, Officially to celebrate the name day of Prince Rickon Stark the youngest son and child of Eddard Stark and in reality to try and make sure the friendship between Houses Stark and Arryn would continue to the next generation. The Arryn Party would stay in Winterfell for many moons before returning and Lord Varys is said to have informed the Small Council that there were talks of marrying one of the Stark princesses, in particular Princess Karla the elder to her twin Darla to Jasper Arryn a move which is said to have angered the King as he had desired a Stark Bride for his own son and anything less than the eldest daughter was an insult to the crown.

By this time the friendships between the Starks, Arryns of the Eyrie and Baratheon's of Kings Landing were straining over King Robert's anger of his foster brothers not visiting him, of rejecting his offers of letting him foster their sons and delaying talk of any betrothals.

The year also saw Lord Loren and Tion Lannister, the sons of Lord Tywin Lannister by his second wife being brought and introduced to the court. Both had the traditional Lannister looks and while neither are said to have had the skill of their elder half brother Ser Jamie with a blade they were said to be exceptionally brilliant, closely schooled by Lord Tywin in a way he simply could not for his elder children due to his then duties as Hand of the King. There before the court Lord Tywin declared Lord Loren as his heir, formally dismissing the claim of the dwarf Tyrion Lannister.

This would be accepted by the court despite the best efforts of the Queen, who in her attempts to prevent the acknowledgement found that most of her men had more loyalty to her father than her. Queen Cersei was still angry with her father choice to marry again, furthermore she felt her second son Prince Tommen should be her Fathers heir.

At the start of the year it seemed that the debt of the crown was finally to be brought somewhat under control. Along with the finishing of the Falcons Rush most of the costs related to the Falcons Port and the Royal Fleet of the Vale were over. Also the next year the last installment of Gold promised to House Arryn to build its roads would be sent, though the roads were not yet complete.

However despite this the Master of Coin had no reason to celebrate for Prince Stannis not wanting his wife realms to fall behind convinced the King to rebuild the Kingsroad and the Riverrun Road in the same fashion as he was building the Stormland roads, in rock and brick. This large task would cost the crown significantly for the King would be convinced by the Prince Hand to also pave the High and Gold Roads as well as the Upper Garden road and the Sand Road from Blackhaven all the way to Sunspear as well in order to maintain good relations with the other Great Houses who while not happy with the partiality shown to the Stormlands could at least understand it, but would indeed not accept the Tully's being favored more than them in such a manner.

Also a cause for worry was that this year the Bank of the Moon, the Blackwood Bank and the Velaryon Bank had all refused to lend more and had begun collecting on their debt rather than rolling it over, as they became increasingly vary of the Crowns huge debts. These three banks already had lent almost half their gold to the crown and unlike the rest simply did not have the gold to absorb even a partial loss of such a large amount of debt.

When brought up to the Small council the Prince Hand and King wary of the debts to and thus influence of the Lannisters sent word to Winterfell hoping not only would it supply the coin but also do so at the lower rates the Lannisters offered. However House Stark, even whose Heir Prince Eddard was close friends with the King, balked at the high sums the crown wanted and refused to lend more than the one millions gold dragons that had been lent to the King already and this too was lent on interest rates higher than those offered by the lions but lower than what House Stark would have charged anyone else. Indeed it was only Prince Eddard affection for King Robert which made this even this original loan possible. As such King Robert was forced to borrow from the Iron Bank and the Highgarden Bank at a higher interest rate.

However what truly marked this year from the rest was the news that came at the end of the year. As a ship owned by House Tarth returns to Westeros it would brings news that shocks the realm. Ser Henry Tarth, cousin to lord Selwyn Tarth, who had led a trade mission to Volantis returns, sailing from Tarth directly to Kings Landing to report to the crown that after all these years he had spotted the White Bull Ser Gerald Hightower and Lord Lucerys Velaryon of Driftmark in Volantis. Ser Henry had sketched the banner of the ship they had been seen arriving at and Lord Addam Velaryon of Kings Landing confirmed that they were using Lord Lucerys Velaryon's private banner. After nearly 15 years it was confirmed to the Realm, House Targaryen had survived, for it was known that the Kingsguard has been with the Queen and was not on the fleet which went to Braavos. As new spread the true loyalists to the Targaryens toasted their drinks but most Lords began wondering if it was too early to prepare for war.

What makes the 15th year of King Roberts reign special is it was a reminder to him and the realm that just because one wins the throne did not mean one was exempt from playing the game.

Chapter 18: Long Calm Before the Great Storm

Chapter Text

Despite his disdain for ruling King Roberts reign is considered one of the most prosperous in Westerosi History on par with those of King Jaehaerys the Wise and King Viserys, though of course they did not have to deal with an Iron Born rebellion. Luckily for the realm King Robert had wise men ruling the Great Houses. With the exception of House Greyjoy Westeros saw an exceptional set of administrators. There was for once (again barring the Iron Islands) No Tytos Lannister or Borros Baratheon.

Each of the Great Houses had been severely affected by Roberts Rebellion. Their Stories and position by the Fifteenth year of King Roberts Reign were as follows:

In the North, Prince Rickard ruled ably continuing the work of his forefathers and training his son Eddard and grandson Robb to take over as rulers of the North when their time came. House Stark would despite its wounds grows back stronger. Prince Eddard married Marla of House Reed who would become Princess Marla of the North. She would give birth to Prince Robb, the Twin Princesses Karla and Darla, Princess Arya, Prince Brandon (or Prince Bran as he was called, even in a lot of formal documents) and Prince Rickon in that order securing the Stark Line. Prince Rickard would also welcome to the Winter Court Lord Jon Snow the child of Brandon Stark and a Southern whor* whose strong Stark looks, barring his purple eyes, silenced any question of parentage at his presentation.

Lord Rickards other son Prince Benjen would take over the Keep and town of Hardhome in the land beyond the wall which House Stark held together with the Nights Watch. He would become Lord Hardstark and would marry a Free Folk woman by the name of Elsa. Lady Elsa would birth Lord Cregan, Lady Sansa and Lord Lyan Hardstark. Though their marriage would break for many years as after the birth of Lord Lyan, deeming the child too week Lady Elsa in the traditions of here people left the child to die out in the cold. Lord Benjen only just managed to save his son. As Lady Elsa predicted the child was weak in body and as such was sent to foster with his cousins in Winterfell.

In these years House Stark would take use of the Accord of the Direwolf and Stag to full affect, minting their own copper coins (though to the Kings Measurement and with his face) and would create after nearly 10 years of toiling by stewards and Maesters a separate Northern Code of Law whose inauguration was marked by a Great Tournament at Winterfell. It would be in King Roberts reign that Moat Cailin would finally be completed after a century of work with 30 towers, 2 keeps, a large fortified river dock and many warehouses.

House Stark would also begin work on two more Great Works. Near the westernmost edge of Cape Kraken House Stark would begin building Direwolf's watch. Similar to Wolfs Den Port in the east it was a fortified port and keep which would maintain a navy to guard against the Iron Born and other navies of the Sunset sea, prompted by the threats of reaving against the North during Roberts Rebellion. Prince Rickard would also create Causeway town on the southern end of the causeway. This walled town would be built out of an existing village or large hamlet which had grown servicing the growing overland trade between the North and the South.

House Stark would participate in the Greyjoy rebellion, working with the King to defeat the Ironborn who threatened all the Realm, this would only make the importance of Direwolf's watch more clear but the keep itself would see no role in this war, only being completed in 298 AC.

And yet despite the prosperity, despite leading the North to three victories and despite giving the North its own set of Laws after two centuries of "Andal Shackles" the popularity of Prince Rickard was muted.

The Northern nobility was not suspicious of Prince Rickards motives as such, for the fortunes of the North were bound most strongly with the fortunes of Winterfell and House Stark, nor were they against gaining more influence in the south per say, for they realised the benefits of doing so. Also the Northern nobility was well aware that by helping place King Robert Baratheon on the Iron Throne they had bound themselves to his reign in a way that had not occurred since Aegon the Conqueror and thus they had to be more concerned than they had been in the past.

But what they were afraid of was Prince Rickard overpaying for his ambitions, of getting dragged in quarrels that were not the Norths. For while the North was united in the belief that the murder of Brandon and Lyanna Stark was to be avenged for their own honour had been slighted along with their liege lords, they were also aware that the problems of the Crown were not necessarily the problems of Winterfell and thus the Norths.

Thus they were very suspicious of the inclinations of the half southern Prince Eddard who was more comfortable speaking Royal Andal than Winterfell Old Tongue, that he was willing to help his friend even if it did not directly benefit the North. Or as Lord Jon Umber put it, "The Starks showered Robert with the support they should have given him if he had indeed married our Fierce Lyanna, but Roberts children were Lions not Wolves, Robert is a friend of the North but he is not of the North and not one of our own".

Further as Lord Rickon Windstrider's discontent with the rising debt of the crown, as well as the increasing state of corruption in the Red Keep became known among the nobility, also spread the knowledge that the Starks had lent over one millions of Gold dragons at very low rates to the Crown, an act many lords disagreed with. Not the act of lending in and of it self, or even lending to the South, or even still to the Crown, but they objected to their liege lending at such low rates to the Crown and not even asking for anything more in return, for all this gold had bought not even a single extra office for the North.

This rising annoyance was a worry of House Stark, this is not to say that House Stark feared rebellion or anything extreme, for they did not need to. House Stark was in many ways the strongest it had ever been with lands richer than ever, being able to raise more men than ever, having many, many keeps not even including Winterfell to secure their hold of the North and having the absolute support and unquestioned loyalty of most of their vassals not even counting the loyalty of the Great Cadet Lines of House Stark which alone were an alliance strong enough to make any other Houses of the North Kneel.

This meant House Stark was too powerful and secure to fear even their traditional rivals in House Bolton for now and more importantly the rivals of Winterfell including House Bolton also knew an open and direct rebellion would accomplish nothing but the destruction of their own Houses.

And this was even before one took into account that through the Bank of Winterfell the Starks held a strong grip on the trade of the North and the fortune of many houses, that through the rangers and their own "shadow wolf" spies knew all the ongoing of the North making even plotting the rebellion dangerous and that through the Order of the Weirwood Winterfell could rally the pious smallfolk of the north in ways that were not possible before the Order was created and created a united framework for the followers of the Old Gods. For while the High Steward and High Council of the Order of the Weirwood were Green Men, the highest office holder thus in many ways the closest to the High Septon the faith of the Old gods and North would get was the Lord Commander of the Order of the Weirwood, an office entailed to the Headship of House Stark.

But there was a mistrust of Winterfell that House Stark did its best to alleviate. When Robb Stark turned 10 they fostered sons and daughters from all the corners of the North, even House Bolton sending its Heir Domeric and its eldest daughter Barbrey.

All this would help reassure the northern nobility only for their fears to be reignited by the visit of Prince Elbert and the Vale Lords. Soon word spread that the possibility of a match between the eldest daughter of Winterfell and the Heir to the Eyrie would be discussed between the Houses, a prospect which was an affront to the Northern Nobility whose sons competed for the Princesses' favour. This was both due to the bloody history between the Vale and the North and also due to the fact that an alliance with the Eyrie would not benefit the North much, but the Starks were playing Games of their own and would not be dissuaded.

House Arryn had been in many ways the single biggest beneficiaries of the Rebellion. Prince Jon Arryn was Hand of the King, they had received a large stone road network for free and House Arryn also had received two keeps and a new fleet from the Crown. Further Vale Lords were the single largest group among the crowns office holders even more than the Stormlanders and a Stormland Lord had been made King! However much the advantages of all this though, this also meant that across the realm similar to the reign of Daeron the Good there was an increased resentment of the "capture" of the Iron Throne by one of the Kingdoms, only this time it was the Vale.

In Kings Landing and its politics the second decade of King Roberts reign saw House Arryn lose some of its influence. However outside this the Falcons were going from strength to strength. The roads increased trade, employed the smallfolk and filled the purses of Smallfolk, merchant and lord alike. Many smaller houses and second sons also found that they now had much larger opportunities working in the administration of the realm, or in the new fleet, bringing back wealth and giving an outlet to Lords who wished to rid themselves of the burden of distant Kin.

House Arryn was also prospered in terms of heirs for after two generations of difficult births with Prince Jon Arryn taking three wives without a child and Elbert and Denys Arryn being born from the third and fourth wives of Jon Arryns brother and cousin respectively. Now however the Arryns had many children with Lord Denys having two sons and two daughters while Prince Elbert having three sons and one daughter. In order of birth these were Prince Jasper, Prince Artos, Princess Rowena and Prince Nestor.

Prince Elbert the Heir to the Vale also ruled wisely and capably, preventing the rise of banditry and enforcing the Kings Peace. He would similar to his uncle foster the sons, brothers, grandsons and nephews in the Eyrie to build ties to his bannermen, though this time he fostered only the Vale nobility. The Prince would also visit the north with his court to reaffirm his ties with the north and lay the foundation for a future possible marriage between the Vale and North.

Prince Elbert would also allow for the great migration. This was an agreement of taking another 2000 tribesmen or Mountain Clansmen into the peace. While they were the majority in each of the 4 clans they were not numerous enough to overrule the minority in bending the knee according to the ways of their people. However after a decade of frustration and dialogue they had agreed to leave the clans of their birth and join with the 5 Valley Clans as they were now known. Prince Elbert readily accepted and spent about a moon and a half taking oaths for unlike the swearing of oaths by the 5 valley clans which could be done by the leaders alone these needed to be done in person. As each sub-clan or family left and made its way to the lands which the valley clans had bought to house their kin they would stop by the Eyrie and swear their allegiance.

While some may think this was sudden, such a travel was being taken by Clansmen one by one or by an individual family for decades, the only difference was the scale and time with the majority coming under House Arryn at once.

As such there were only one thousand or so wild clansmen or free clansmen left.

Prince Elbert would also begin two great works, the first would be the Eyrie collegium, inspired by the example set by Lord Garland and House Stark. The second would be the beginnings of the Great Falcon Sept in Eyrie Town which would take 130 years to complete.

However despite the prosperity of the Arryns and the Vale at large and its increased security after the great migration Prince Elbert grew increasingly worried as the years passed. Despite the power and influence of House Arryn it is said he became increasingly cautious about the future. Indeed Prince Elbert would begin the greatest expansion of the Gates of the Moon in many generation, tripling its area and building into the Eyrie mountain pass large tunnels which would act as both a source of stone to expand the keep and once the work was complete as stores he would fill with food and fuel.

House Lannister had in the recent generation gone from being well respected under Lord Gerald, to a laughingstock under his son Tytos to once again a well respected and feared House under his son Tywin. Indeed under Tywin House Lannister reached heights its previous lords could only dream of. The realm had for 20 years a Lannister Hand who ruled wisely, and now despite being on the losing end of Robert Rebellion the realm had a Lannister Queen and a Crown Prince who despite having the name Baratheon was a Lannister to the tips of his fingers with everyone knowing which side of his heritage he favoured. Further under Lord Tywin House Lannister would also gain strong influence in the offices of the realm and while this overturned in the early part of King Roberts reign this influence returned after a decade.

But in that decade House Lannister was vulnerable in ways it had not been since the days of Lord Tytos.

Lord Tywin's preferred heir Ser Jamie would join the Kingsguard and then refuse to leave. This left him with the dwarf Tyrion Lannister who Lord Tywin refused to leave the Lordship of the Westerlands and Casterly Rock to and who the Lords of the West did not respect.

Further as he returned home in 281AC Lord Tywin also became worried that despite there being no outward cracks the foundation of Lannister control was not as strong as it looked. The Lords Vassal of Casterly Rock believed, with reason, that as Hand of the King for over twenty years Lord Tywin should have known about the strength of the Starks and prevented them swindling the crown out of huge sums of taxes for apparently centuries making many quietly doubt his wisdom and leadership. These were compounded by the fact that despite his son being a member of the Kingsguard and despite a Lannister Queen the Westerlands held at this time no influence over the King and the Hand. Quietly they whispered that perhaps the Glory days of Tywin Lannister were over, but not quietly enough for Lannister spies still heard these whispers and reported them.

Indeed with the War and Great Council over Lord Tywin would go through his memories and recall the many, many indicators he had dismissed over the years due to his own prejudice which may have alerted him to the true state of the North. Lord Tywin also recalled King Aerys paranoia about Winterfell and its supposed strength which he had dismissed as the King jumping at shadows only for Aerys not Tywin to be the wiser one for once.

Refusing to give the Dwarf Casterly Rock after it killed his wife and realizing that it would be too late even if Ser Jamie was released at a latter date. Thus needing to secure his power Lord Tywin would go to his wife's grave with his brother Kevin, kneel and apologise to his beloved and then send a raven to House Brax asking for the hand of Lady Yana Brax. Doing so would allow him to get non dwarf sons who could inherit Casterly Rock, perhaps a daughter to marry to a great house, and connections to his bannermen for the sisters of Lady Yana had been married to prominent Lords and House Lannister had been isolated for two generations with Lord Tywin marrying his cousin, His brothers marrying for love to the lower nobility, his sister married to a Frey and his children by Lady Joanna married to the Baratheon's or unmarriable.

The news of this marriage sent shock waves through the Westerlands and Westeros at large, angering the children of Lady Joanna who would send angry missives to their father demanding he stop but Lord Tywin was adamant, he needed Heirs and marriage was the appropriate tool for the task.

The Marriage Ceremony of Lady Yana and Lord Tywin Lannister was in a word Grand. It occurred in the Great Golden Sept of Lannisport and was attended by the representatives of all the Houses of the Westerlands as well as many houses from the other Kingdoms, though without any representative of the Crown and none of his Children by Lady Joanna. Many congratulated Lady Gena, who had taken over the role of organizing the festivities, that the marriage was as grand and beautiful as the Royal wedding.

However all the festivities did not hide the fact that the people getting married were strangers to one another without passion for one another, for despite the laws of the realm and the gods when Lord Tywin thought of the word wife he thought of Lady Joanna. Indeed everyone including Lady Yana knew that this marriage even more than most was about a man needing a suitable womb to birth legitimate heirs and nothing else. With the vows of marriage being recited without emotion or feeling.

As the ceremonies ended and the Lady of Casterly Rock left for her new home, she along with many others wondered, just what kind of marriage had she entered into?

The answer was apparent within a few moons. Lord Tywin had no interest in his new wife, though he had declared that he needed her to provide both an heir and spare son. For this he had the maester draw up a schedule using Lady Yana’s moon blood cycle. Their coupling were said to be impersonal, quick and without feelings. Though emotionless they may be, they were fruitful with lady Yana giving Lord Tywin two sons, Loren and Tion born within the first five years of their marriage.

It is said that after the day Lady Yana’s second pregnancy was announced, Lord Tywin never visited his wife’s chamber again. Treating her courteously and respectfully, but more as a ward than a wife. Lady Yana however seemed unconcerned with her husband’s lack of affection towards her, enjoying the amenities of Casterly rock and spending her days with her children and Ladies. As for her own carnal needs after Tion was born she would start a discreet set of relationships, but very quietly and with ample amounts of moon tea for she was under no illusions that having performed her task she was no longer required by Lord Tywin and would face the full consequences of bringing shame to House Lannister.

Lord Hoster Tully's fortune post Roberts Rebellion was mixed, on the one hand he had essentially lost the possibility for one great alliance due to the marriage of Lysa Tully and Peytr Baelish, he also had to deal with another powerful bannerman in the form of Lord Deny Arryn whose connections to the Crown and strong lands undermined the rule of Riverrun and worst he and his supporters were locked out of power, in the purge that followed the crowning of Robert Baratheon nearly every River lord was removed from office in Kings Landing, The only ones who were still present Houses Mooton and Cox also had strong connections to the Crown and for now held more loyalty to the Baratheon's than the Tullys .

But Riverrun did have one key advantage and this was the Marriage of Prince Stannis Baratheon and Lady Catelyn, this would set the foundation which Lord Hoster would use to rebuild power. He would build close ties with his goodson and also ensure ties between his grandsons and their uncle, his heir Edmure.

After the Greyjoy rebellion it would be Lord Hoster with his daughter Catelyn Baratheon who would exploit the pre-existing gap between the Prince Hand and Master of Ships, as for all their cooperation Prince Stannis never got over the resentment he had of Jon Arryn since his youth. Prince Stannis blamed Jon Arryn for Robert leaving his brothers for years, even when their parents died. As well as holding Prince Arryn responsible for the kind of man King Robert became for Prince Stannis never shied away from proclaiming his dislike for King Roberts behavior . As such it was the Tully's who engineered the breakup of the older stag faction. And while the Tully's knew it would lead to an inevitable increase in Lannister influence both judged it necessary to help bring the Riverlords back to court.

Despite all this the Tullys would weaken for Lord Hoster would suffer from increasingly bad health as the years went by and his Heir Edmure Tully was simply unable to fulfil his father's role in the Game, especially as the House Tully got dragged in more and more into the disputes of the Baratheon's.

House Martell was quite in the reign of King Robert, while many speculate under the surface they were plotting still they did so inconspicuously enough that we know little of any actuals plans. The Dornish stayed away from court to the gratitude of the Baratheon's, Arryns and the Lannisters who did not want them there.

Many also speculate that the Martells maintained constant and direct communications the exiled Targaryen but again proof for this is simply not present

House Gardner started King Roberts reign as the most disfavored house. The reason for this was less that they were Royalists and more due to the fact they were the most successful ones giving Robert his only defeat and besieging Storms End. Despite this however the Reach was still mostly unaffected by the war, its settlements and lands had been spared from the fighting and the losses of men also was limited with both the Battle of Ashford and the Battle at Ruby Ford each seeing less than a thousand men dying. House Gardner thus was able to recover quickly even when it lost some of its lands in the northern reach to Denys Arryn, Lord of Falcon's Rush.

The problem thus was that the Reach had been shut out of the offices of the realm, and had no influence in the court, with the Prince Hand and Master of Ships removing all of Reach lords and those known to be loyal to Highgarden within the first two years. Indeed even under the height of the Lions influence in Kings Landing Highgarden's standing was higher still than it was in those years.

Furthermore despite the match between Lady Hillary and Lord Baelor Hightower the Reach was still shunned in court, with the Arryns unwilling or unable to help. Further the Reach Lords were angered by their lack of favor and their inability to gain influence even when the Lannisters and the Westerland Lords were welcomed back immediately due to receiving the patronage of the Queen Cersei.

This began to change after the Greyjoy rebellion when House Gardner and the Reach Lords were once again welcomed at court. The Reach also benefited from the realignment that occurred in court with the splitting up of the Stag faction as Princes Jon Arryn and Stannis Baratheon broke their previous alliance and began fighting one another. House Gardner used this to great affect and when Prince Jon made overtures offering offices and positions at court in return for their support, House Gardner accepted. They used the alliance with the Prince Hand most effectively, allowing the Vale Lords to keep a larger share of the offices and the more prestigious ones and instead demanded their share by overturning the many, many impediments, tariffs and punitive laws that Lord Tywin had placed on them over the years due to his bitterness of the intervention by House Gardner in the Reyne-Tarbeck rebellion. For House Gardner under King Robert were more concerned with increasing autonomy than truly increasing their influence at court. For Highgarden their influence in court was only the means by which they were to secure their holdings in the Reach.

The Reach would also benefit from the long summer that came, further they would also benefit from the huge works being built by the Baratheon's, filling the purses of smallfolk, merchants and nobles across Westeros. Much of this coin would be spent in buying goods from the reach, not just luxuries but also grain and other commodities as many smallfolk were taken off the fields and put to work in other areas in the Vale, the crownlands and the Stormlands.

As such the trade of the Reach grew.

During this time House Gardner would make many overture to the North. While the Norths strength had surprised the Reach as well as all of Westeros, and they were unhappy as well with the privileges that House Stark got, the members of House Gardner were , in private, impressed with what Winterfell had been able to achieve. And more importantly they could not hold a grudge as they intended to ally with the North and grudges are bad for alliances.

Despite its might the greatest vulnerability of the Reach was its long borders meaning they were always threatened from all sides, as such an alliance with the Stark's who most importantly did not border them and would not be able to claim their lands and titles due to their faith would be very beneficial for House Gardner, with the two largest armies and two largest navies in Westeros united neither would be threatened again.

In order to build ties and see what the North was really like, Lord Garland and his family and court would take visit to the North, to discuss Trade, Fosterages and Marriages. These efforts would have limited success with the Starks rejecting talks of fosterages and any suggestions of matches deferred until their children were older. This is not to say the visit was completely without benefit. While deeper ties between the Houses were not achieved, some friendships had indeed been forged. Also the Gardners and Starks had indeed been able to negotiate certain trade agreements which would benefit both sides.

Lord Garland would also be very impressed with the City of Winterfell and particularly with the Winterfell Collegium. Indeed so impressed was Lord Garland that he would order the construction and founding of the Highgarden Collegium within 2 years of returning from the North. And while it would one day come to match the Oldtown citadel in size, with a fierce rivalry existing between the two institutions it would take decades for the Highgarden collegium to truly take shape.

In terms of alliances with the Great Houses, House Gardner would have better luck in the Royal Court and in the Vale where Prince Jon had been able to get Lord Loras Gardner a position as squire to Prince Renly of Dragonstone, and Prince Elbert Arryn had written to Highgarden wishing to discuss a match between Willas Gardner, Heir to the Reach and his daughter Princess Rowena Arryn, a match which Highgarden was pleased with but still somewhat hesitant to commit to due to the 10 year gap between Lord Willas and Princess Rowena and due the possibility of potentially an even more advantageous match in the form of a Stark princess.

All in all, the first 15 years of King Roberts reign were prosperous times for all of Westeros but it was also in this time many of the seeds of the wars to come were planted.

Even during King Roberts early reign there was a constant level of infighting between House Baratheon of Kings Landing, what are now called the Lannisters of Kings Landing or the Queens Family, and the Baratheon's of Storms End. The Lannister of Kings Landing were composed of the Queen Cersei, and her children Crown Prince Joffrey, Princess Myrcella and Prince Tommen as well as her brothers Ser Jamie and Lord Tyrion, their cousins Lancel and Wilhelm Lannister and the many noble lords and men who they commanded.

The Baratheon's of Storms End would be Prince Stannis, his wife Princess Catelyn and their children, in order of birth Prince Steffon, Princess Cassana, Princess Shireen, Prince Orys and Princess Rhaelle. They were also supported by Davos Seaworth, the former smuggler who quickly became Prince Stannis' most trusted adviser, the Blackfish Brynden Tully, Lord Lomas Estermont, uncle of Prince Stannis who mostly stayed at Storms End due to his role as High Steward of the Stormlands and his son Andrew Estermont who would become one of the most trusted companions of Prince Steffon acting as his sworn shield and would serve in the role of elder brother to the young stags despite technically being an uncle to the young Princes and Princesses.

The fighting was motivated by personal animosities and not just a desire for power. This can be seen when the old Stag faction split into the New Stag Faction and the Falcon Factions. The Lion Faction led by Queen would always put most of its strength combating the Stag faction even though the Falcon faction held the most power then, this was the primary reason the Falcons remained ascendant for so long as its key opponents were too busy fighting one another. Indeed it is noted by many of her contemporaries that Queen Cersei always viewed Prince Stannis and his family as a bigger threat than anyone else.

There are many reasons for this animosity between the two branches of House Baratheon, one of the most prominent ones is the disdain and hatred the Queen held for Princess Catelyn which most attributed to Lord Hoster's attempts to betroth her to Ser Jamie, Queen Cersei's twin. Another reason popular in later years among the stag faction was that the Queen was scared of Prince Stannis as he was the legitimate heir as due to Queen Cersei's children being bastards born of incest and not of King Roberts blood according to allegation made against her and her children.

Other point to the animosity that existed between Crown Prince Joffrey and Prince Steffon.

Crown Prince Joffrey had an uncontrollable temper not unlike his mother, Queen Cersei whose likeness he shared considerably. He had little sense of right or wrong, which often lead him to trouble, especially when he lost his temper. Despite being willful he was reckless, vicious, cruel and not particularly intelligent, all of which combined to make him prone to irrational and bad judgements.

These qualities and his mothers protectiveness isolated him at court meaning that the Crown Prince had few friends, a situation worsened by the disdain he held non Lannister and Westermen in. It is agreed that Prince Joffrey craved the respect and approval of King Robert and many of his cruel acts were done in an effort to live up to his father's legend for the Prince had grown up hearing about the Kings strength and fury. But it was not to be, rather the more Prince Joffrey tried the more he gained the disapproval of his farther and made enemies at court. It is also known that Prince Joffrey hated his cousin Prince Steffon Baratheon for unlike himself Prince Steffon held the respect and approval of the King and the friendship of many of the young nobles at court.

Prince Steffon was different from his father Prince Stannis, and was regularly compared to his namesake Lord Steffon as well as his grandfather Hoster Tully. He was tall even in his youth and strong, intelligent and dutiful in fulfilling the tasks assigned to him with seriousness and precision. Unlike his father Prince Steffon was much more sociable and made many friends at court and through his uncle Renly learnt the courtly arts of dancing, charming, flattering, exchanging and reading veiled barbs etc.

But while he was adequate at it he did not enjoy the veiled conversations like some, viewing them as a tool rather than an art. Prince Steffon was a fine enough warrior, certainly the best in his generation of House Baratheon going on an unbroken string of victories against his cousins until Queen Cersei forbade such matches. Indeed this strength and his willingness to accompany the king on long hunts where he would get dirty and bruised, an activity which Prince Joffrey disliked, would win him the Kings approval. Though this approval would also win him the disdain of his cousin Joffrey. Prince Steffon, picking up at the Queens disdain at his own mother and the Queens many petty plots against Princess Catelyn would do his best to turn the young nobles against his cousin the Crown Prince in retaliation, though considering the Crown Princes behavior this would not be a difficult task.

As the years pass and the next generations of Baratheons grow up they would be dragged into the growing conflicts between the Lannister and Baratheon's with the tensions in the Red Keep rising. This came to the point that the Grand Maester would write that he feared for a Dance of the Stags similar to the Dance of the Dragons.

Chapter 19: The Last Years

Chapter Text

Last years of King Robert are traditionally marked from the 16th year onward. The reason for this is due to the Ball of Madness. The year started with word spreading across the Seven Kingdoms that the Targaryens had likely survived and that war may come once again to the Seven Kingdoms, for all remembered the news of the coronation of Viserys III that they received from Dragonstone before the Targaryens fled and the demand for the fealty that arrived with it.

This lead to mixed reactions across the Realm with the true Targaryen loyalists, relatively few in number but still present, toasting their surviving liege lords. Most lords however were worried for the impacts of the war. This is as most of the nobility had been sufficiently alienated by the mad king and now after two decades of Stag Kings were broadly content with the reign of King Robert, for despite the increasing political fights in the City of Kings Landing, and a rising level of debt, the Realm was stable and prosperous. Further with the wealth of Casterly Rock backing them there was no debt large enough to truly threaten the Baratheon's. Furthermore across the Realm many worried about the consequence to their Houses from a resurgent House Targaryen who may yet seek vengeance, even from the otherwise loyalist houses who had bent the knee to the Stags. Afterall from their position House Targaryen would need to promise a lot to its supporters, promises of land and gold which may endanger their own holdings.

The King himself is reported to have come more alive as the prospect of a war came over the horizon. Genuinely excited about the prospect of war and glory and also getting bored with the Royal Court, King Robert used the news as well as the upcoming completion of his new hunting lodge, the Kingswood Palace, to call his Wardens, their heirs and their principle bannermen and advisors to come to Kings Landing, to talk on future steps, build friendships between future battlefield allies and most importantly for King Robert regroup all his friends from the Vale so that they may hunt and enjoy as they had in their youth.

As the ravens fly across Westeros and the nobility makes it way to King Landing the pieces on the board start their long process of setting themselves for another match.

The events of this gathering are as infamous as those from the Tournament of Harrenhal sparking countless books, songs, myths and legends. Because of the infamy and the enormous consequences of the events getting a truly accurate picture on the event, unbiased from the events that followed, are difficult but the single most accurate account is the still somewhat controversial "Reign of King Robert, The King of Storms and Fury" by Maester Wendel, an assistant to the Grand Maester who lived through the entire reign of King Robert at the Red Keep, keeping meticulous records of not just official pronouncements and events, but also rumours, gossips, japes and the fruits of his own whisper networks.

As the third month of the year came the highest of the nobility of the Vale, North, Reach and Westerlands gathered at the Red Keep, accompanying their liege lords. All the Wardens and their heirs were present barring Prince Rickard Stark who had sent his son and grandson in his stead, the old wolf content to stay in his den. But along with these nobles who had been invited specifically, also present were the Nobles of the rest of the kingdoms who would not be left out of the dealing, barring the Iron Islands whose nobles were not welcome in court ever since the Greyjoy rebellion.

While the gathering was officially only a "small" celebration of the opening of the new palace in the Kingswood and a meeting of the Wardens and Heirs, the preparations in the Red and Black Keeps were nothing short of that which would be arranged for a small Great Council for in many ways it was indeed that.

The atmosphere was not tense however, for the Baratheon's had reason to be confident against a possible resurgence by House Targaryen. For one thing it was unlikely the Targaryens would be striking soon as to raise the armies needed to take the Seven Kingdoms was not a small task, one which could be done either inconspicuously or with haste. Further, the last of the Valyrian dragon riding houses had no dragons to aid in their conquests this time, and despite claiming the throne with a weak hand the Baratheon's had bound to them all but the Reach, Dorne and Iron Islands through friendship and blood. As such even if all three decided to fight for the Dragons the Baratheon's still had more men, more ships and more gold, even without considering that it would be very unlikely for the Reach to raise their banners for the Targaryens after they took Lord Garlands army as hostage in Roberts rebellion and that allying with the Greyjoys would only harm their chances by turning all the lords of the Sunset sea against them, their ancient hatred for the Iron Born still strong.

The Starks and Arryn's, and their bannermen, who had traveled together from Gulltown onward were the last of note to arrive in Kings landing and with their presence the "Ball of Madness" as it came to be known began.

Despite the name the Ball of Madness does not refer just to the singular ball but rather the entire series of events that transpired in those moons. From the start the signs were less than auspicious. Despite the Wardens meeting being the first and highest item on the agenda, and the Wardens wanting to discuss the Targaryen threat, they found that King Robert was not really around. He had attended but one meeting and when it became clear it would not really be about battlefield strategy and more about the intricate details of the politics of the realm, he lost his interest and from then on was seen everyday with his friends as the Wardens worked with the small council.This was not a good look for the Storm King whose by now legendary disdain for running his own realm was on full display. And he was not appreciated for it.

And despite his displeasure at doing so the King diligently avoided Princes Eddard and Elbert as they tried to discuss the state of the Realm with him after indulging the kings desire for hunting and feasting for about a sennights time. For both the Princes held many concerns about the state of the realm, from the increasing tales of corruption, lack of reforms regarding its its finances. Further both Prince's while not misers disapproved of the excesses of the Crown and also, most importantly for them, they wanted to discuss the physical and mental state of their friend, the King.

Where as earlier they would claim King Robert was stronger than them combined now they could only claim he was twice as fat as the two put together. Whereas the other foster sons of Jon Arryn had to a man retained their basic outline, most of their youthful agility and stamina, and could utilize all of their wits to an even greater degree, King Robert had become a ball of fat, become slow to walk and quick to run out of breath and was too intoxicated by wine and brandy to be described as witty. Even his japes and barbs had degraded from whence he was a boy, having become even cruder and basic, lacking even the hints of higher wits.

Nothing about the rumors or letters would have prepared them for the man they met, for this was not their friend, but almost a cruel parody of the rumors about him and all of the Falcon Flock who came to the Red Keep were concerned.

This time was also marked with the formal introduction of many young nobles to court most prominently the eldest sons of Prince's Elbert and Eddard. It was also during this moon that the seeds of trouble began, not with the adults but with the youth. For in this time the younger nobility and heirs, those who were mostly born after the Rebellion and the crowning of the Stag King were brought all together for the first time.

While many, especially in the Lannister Faction, would have welcomed this as the moment when Crown Prince Joffrey was suppose to secure his own support base amongst the next generation, it was not to be, indeed in many respects was a horrible failure even before the Ball of Madness reached its crescendo.

The reason to be fair is only partially due to the Crown Princes own personality, for Prince Steffon Baratheon, his eternal rival, would also do much to turn the visiting nobles against the Crown Prince. Prince Steffon had learnt much from his grandfather Lord Hoster Tully and was more importantly excellent at playing with the emotions of his cousin the Crown Prince Joffrey, always knowing which exact words would enrage him and cause him to lash out, and he would effectively bait the short tempered Prince to do so even he was around the visiting young nobles, and thus undermine the image Crown Prince Joffrey wanted to project, creating in their minds the image of a bickering and petty Prince, not exactly false.

Prince Steffon was also more than adequate at creating clashes between the visiting nobility and the Crown Prince, being aided in this by his many friends who would goad one or the other party into a fight. The young Lords who supported Prince Steffon in this gave their support enthusiastically and saw it as their duty, supporting their fathers in battling the Lion faction by weakening the importance of its strongest piece.

Another reason for the failure of Prince Joffrey to make a good impression was due to the prejudices he had inherited from his mother, for it was well known the Queen disliked the Starks, Gardners and Arryn's and thus their Bannermen. Dislikes that the Crown Prince adopted and was unable to hide. Thus the Prince and those he favored made little effort to be courteous to, much less court the support of the visiting Princes and Lords. But the true clash of the princes was going to happen a bit later.

Before that came one of the most infamous meetings of the era, the Godwood council. This was a meeting of the four wardens and theirs heirs, commenced by Prince Eddard in the Godwood of the Red Keep. The exact words have been lost to time but Maester Wendel in his book has the following account of the Small Council meeting after the council. It was dictated to the Maester by the Grand Maester himself to create a record for the realm and a copy of which Maester Wendel placed in his own papers. Here they discussed the Council the day after it occurred, going over the details provided to the Small Council and others by Varys, the Master of Whisperers.

The Small Council room was tense for they had all heard, the entire Red Keep and by now probably the entire city had heard of the meeting which already being called the Godwood Council, perhaps the only time the 4 wardens(if one considered Elbert Arryn and Eddard Stark the de facto wardens) had met in such a manner without the King or his representative in the History of the Iron Throne. Indeed under King Aerys II or even under Kings such as Maekar and Daeron II simply attending such a council without the Kings knowledge and permission would have been deemed treason.

Prince Jon Arryn looked especially tense which the Grand Maester attributed to the fact his own nephew and Heir Prince Elbert was among the participants, seemingly without Prince Jon's knowledge or approval. No doubt he was wondering if there was a war brewing in the Eyrie that he knew nothing about.

Along with the members of the Small Council were others normally not seen in the chamber. First was surprisingly the King, though as with most small council meeting he attended he looked annoyed of being there. The Grand Maester would posit that the King was annoyed both with being forced to attend by the Prince Hand and also due to his foster brothers meeting with Tywin Lannister and more importantly with Garland Gardner, for the King had never truly forgiven the Lord of Highgarden for his actions in Roberts Rebellion and had developed a strong aversions to the Lannisters after being subject to so many of them due to his marriage to Queen Cersei.

An even more rare pair of visitors to the chamber were the Queen Cersei and Crown Prince Joffrey, who the Grand Maester believed, had likely been informed by Lord Varys that he would be informing the Small council about the meetings content for the small council was perhaps the only institution of the crown where the lions had no voice and thus the queen should have no way of knowing of its business before it had happened and been leaked to the court. The Queen thus likely attended for similar to Prince Jon she had not been informed of the meeting beforehand, nor it seemed informed of the contents after.

Finally rounding out the additional non-small council members were Princess Catelyn, Prince Steffon and Lord Brynden, the Blackfish, the Household of Prince Stannis. They too were looking tense for Princes they may be but their position could easily be threatened if the Wardens allied with one another. And indeed that was the Crux of the matter, the four Wardens were the four strongest Lords, it was the basic duty of the Crown to keep them divided for united, especially after the last dragon died, they could dictate to the Crown which would have no choice but to obey.

Finally as Prince Renly entered, the meeting began. The First question came from the mouth of Prince Jon who demanded who had spoken to Lord Varys, but to this the Spider only smiled and said his little birds can go unnoticed in the Godwood. With that he began his narration only to be interrupted immediately by the king whose patience ended with the wine in his cup finishing, he demanded bluntly what his foster brothers said and if the snakes had gotten to them. Lord Varys tittered and said that depended on ones perspective. And so he began his narration once again.

Prince Eddard was the one who called for the meeting. It was intentionally a small gathering with each man only allowed to bring their heir and to ensure privacy Prince Eddard had his men seal of the Godwoods and prevented anyone else from entering. There in the Godwood, some paces away from the Weirwood tree a simple table was set up and on the table was placed a detailed map of Westeros, a homage either intentional or unintentional, to King Aegon the Conqueror and his painted table.

Once they all were gathered, Prince Eddard thanked them for being there and said the purpose of the meeting was to find understanding of one another, and that of their needs in their own words.

In blunt words befitting a Northerner, Prince Eddard declared that while King Robert was his friend Prince Eddard did not wish to get too involved with the politics of the realm so long as his friend was not threatened, but that he had concerns, concerns he wished to air and get some understanding and possibly assurances for.

Prince Eddard declared his desire to maintain support for the Great Charter and the 3 Accords and wanted assurances that the Lannisters and Gardners would stand firm in the matter even when Prince Joffrey ascended the Iron Throne and even if he married Margery Gardner. It seemed that Winterfell wanted to ensure no future Stag King would feel secure enough to try and void the agreements which had brought the Baratheon's to the Iron Throne in the first place.

Lord Tywin replied first and stated that House Lannister would indeed support the Great Charter and the three Accords to continue as is. And told Prince Eddard "The Direwolf can sleep again, secure in knowing its rest will not be disturbed by a King of Lannister blood". This statement while assuring Prince Eddard and Prince Robb was less reassuring to the other two Houses gathered there, for both had plans on allying with House Stark and using its might to create alliances to counteract the might of Casterly Rock, might which would increase substantially once Prince Joffrey who in many ways was a Baratheon only in name would ascend the Iron Throne.

Lord Willas, Heir to Highgarden then brought up the possibility of a marriage between his sister and Prince Joffrey or Lord Loren as a way of moving past the "disputes of old". Here Lord Loren declared he was not opposed to the idea but it was not the time to talk about such things. Tensions rose for it seemed Lord Tywin was more firmly against the idea, also dismissing it as something to be addressed later but in a way that made it clear he saw later as 3 days after the Seven and Hugor of the Hills walked on the earth again , he then shifted the topic.

Addressing Prince Elbert who had been silent till then he would speak of the future of the Iron Throne and suggested that "House Arryn should return to the Vale, it seems like it cannot handle the burden that comes with being Hand of the King" a comment which incensed Prince Elbert who declared the time as Prince Jon's time as hand was more prosperous than Lord Tywins, "and I know what you will say my lord, the only black mark on our record, debt, a mountain of debt it is true, but debt will only go down as trade grows on the new roads, but of course that’s if you can keep your daughter and grandson in their limits, both desire frivolous luxuries like Robert desires whor*s"

Lord Garland then cut in, shifting the discussion from arguments about debt and the temperament of the Baratheon Family to the possibility of war. He said that while he was a Royalist during the Rebellion he doubted the Targaryens would look kindly on his House and stated he worried most about Dorne, the Martell still hungered for blood to take vengeance for Elia and her children, looking Lord Tywin directly in the eye as he said so. Lord Tywin countered that with Casterly Rock, Eyrie, Winterfell, Riverrun, Storms End and Highgarden backing the Baratheon's Dorne's sympathies were irrelevant for even with the Greyjoys any host they assembled would be crushed. Lord Tywin further stated that it would be possible to break internal Dornish unity due to the dishonorable actions of Oberyn Martell which had greatly angered the Dornish Nobility, anger which had been inflamed by his brothers refusal to punish him, thus further alienating the Dornish nobility from Sunspear.

Prince Elbert counters that war may yet come as the Queen and Prince Joffrey hunger for the blood of Storms End, "The claim to Harrenhal, which is anyway contrary to the Laws of Inheritance, is creating tensions and infighting which is ripping the Court apart. If one was more cynical it would seem all of them, the Queen, the Crown Prince and Princess Catelyn and Prince Steffon seem eager for there to be a rebellion to remove the others, it is also particularly strange that the conflict is over petty jealousy about a betrothal which never was". To this Prince Eddard voices his agreement that the tension between the Stags is concerning. Lord Loren speaks up before his father could and counters that the petty grievances of the Queen and Princess Catelyn is hardly a threat in the end and his nephew is young still and would only get more mature.

Lord Tywin also added that Prince Steffon and Princess Catelyn are also hardly blameless in the current tensions and that they need to stop coveting the inheritance of Lord Tywin's grandsons, with Lord Tywin declaring that by all right Summerhall should have been Prince Tommen's seat even as he conceded that Dragonstone had been lawfully and rightly ceded to Prince Renly as part of the Baratheon Family Pact.

The final person to speak is Lord Loren who stands and asks "You are Princes now and rule lands which cannot be taken by any army assembled on land. In the case of House Starks the ties to the south are more like lace than iron and in the case of House Arryn you are about to face a generation of Lannister influence, influence you have spent years combating, I must ask my Princes, will you both also agree to the Accord you claim are so dear?, would you bend the knee to Joffrey willingly or is your allegiance only to Robert? After all it seems such a real danger, a real cause of the war you claim to abhor is that once your dear friend is dead, you hide behind your impenetrable fortresses and not bend the knee until more concessions are wrung out of the new Lannister blooded king. Will we face from henceforth the threat of war and of the Starks and Arryn's becoming kings themselves?"

At this Lord Tywin sends his heir a glare that would make a lesser man soil his breeches but Lord Loren seems unaffected. Lords Garland and Willas it seemed were also very interested in the answer for they too were silent.

But the tension only rises exponentially as neither Prince replies and both seem to be in deep thought. Lord Tywin quickly shifts his glare to the Princes and it only gets worse in intensity. After what must have seemed as an eternity to Lord Tywin Prince Eddard declares "we will remain loyal so long as we can remain as we are, the same bargain which was struck with the Targaryens" a sentiment to which Prince Elbert agrees. The council ends soon after then.

Once Lord Varys stops speaking those assembled who had constantly tried to interrupt him fall silent. King Robert who had stopped paying attention a while back asks Prince Jon what it all meant. "Everything and nothing, and overall much less to worry about" the Hand replies calling the meeting to and end. Looking much less tense but still deep in thought.

The next main account of the Ball of Madness also comes from the recollections of the Grand Maester who was told of the tale by Lord Varys, though this was done in private as part of an exchange of information.

In the Prince Hands wheelhouse

The wheelhouse of Prince Jon Arryn was lavishly decorated though less so compared to the Queens. Along with Prince Jon Arryn also present were Princes Elbert and Eddard with their sons riding ahead with the King for this journey.

This was the first time the three had time to talk in private after the Godwood Council and Prince Arryn took full advantage of it.

According to the tale told to the Grand Maester once they were out of the city walls and the party had spread enough for them to be more secure (but seemingly not secure enough) Prince Jon asked his nephew and foster son of the events of the Godwood council. There they repeated the information which had already been related to the Small Council. However Prince Jon was more concerned why Prince Eddard felt the need for the council in the first place. To this Prince Eddard spoke of the ever rising tensions in House Baratheon and that with House Stark having achieved its goals in the aftermath of Roberts Rebellion they needed assurances that their gains would be secured even in the next generation.

Prince Elbert added his thoughts that "Joffrey was Roberts son only in name, he is Cersei's son in truth" when Prince Eddard agreed with this sentiment one can accurately presume the chances of Prince Joffrey enjoying a stable reign were nearly over for in this one remark two of his strongest supports had declared ,in reality and contrary to their oaths, that their loyalty to the Baratheon's was only truly deep so long as King Robert lived.

While Prince Jon was sad and disappointed with this it was reported that he was also resigned and accepting of this. Prince Elbert also tried to reason with his uncle by stating getting involved with the dispute among the stags was not worth it as they would receive no true reward as both lions and stags factions hated them now.

Prince Eddard tried to comfort Prince Jon, declaring that he had brought forth not just a new dynasty but also great prosperity, changing history and making an undeniable mark on the whole realm, and one for the better. Prince Elbert concurs to this and knowing his uncles desire speaks that no one would forget him now. This slightly improves Prince Jon's mood. He then broaches the topic of a marriage between one of Eddard's twins and Prince Elbert's heir Jasper, declaring that is they were indeed to face a storm they needed to face it together, and that was the only possible match as Prince Jon knew the Starks would not accept his grandniece Princess Rowena as a bride due to her faith and Rowena's refusal to renounce the Faith of the Seven.

Prince Eddard promises to consider it but warns that his bannermen would be unhappy but Prince Jon countered that the alliance between Winterfell and the Eyrie was more important than some hurt feelings which would recover soon enough.

It was also at this point that they all mourned the man King Robert had become, each lamenting how much the vigorous youth had fallen becoming a hollow shell of his old self. While they had all heard the tales, only Prince Jon had truly seen the fall of King Robert and as such King Roberts foster brother had been unpleasantly shocked at their friend being fat, nearly permanently drunk and seemingly so detached from his duties that it was improper not just for a King but for a head of even the lowest of Noble Houses.

Prince Jon Arryn says that he would like to resign and return to the Eyrie but he cant for then Robert would be truly friendless for Prince Stannis was increasingly under the control of his wife and goodfather. Also Prince Jon Arryn felt it would taint his honour to both leave the office he worked for so long as well as due to the fact he has a duty to help fix the mistakes he made, primarily the debt.

Meanwhile during this conversation outside the wheelhouse King Robert was entertaining the Princes and Heirs of the Lords gathered, recounting his war tales and that of the adventures he had. The King was also very interested in the tale of the Northern and Vale Nobility traveling to the Land beyond the wall to hunt. Generous with his praise he would endear himself with his "nephews" something which undoubtedly made Prince Joffrey very jealous if his later actions are any indicator.

Soon enough the Royal Party reaches Kingswood Palace for it truly was not too far, meant to be a escape from the city which could be accessed and returned from easily within the day if need be though one would constantly be traveling from dawn to near midnight if one does that.

As the Part arrived a selection of foods and drinks were set up in a large tent outside, as well as a selection of chairs and cots to briefly rest. For they could not simply enter the new palace, as part of it being formally inaugurated the King and his nobles would first be given a tour by Lord Alyn, before the nobles could be taken to their rooms.

The tour was not long for at the Kings insistence it was mercifully cut short for himself and the nobles. They were shown the main audience hall which held the Kingswood Throne, a gilded hall decorated with luxuries few could imagine.The Throne was made out of solid gold, with pure black cushions of Lorathi Velvet. The Kingswood Throne was on a large raised dais, and was flanked by two like sized Stag statues, made out of solid gold and polished Dragonstone. Behind the throne was a large canopy of gold, filled with figurines of flowers with jewels and Stags.On the roof it was decorated with elaborate fresco's which surrounded the single largest chandelier of Glass and Crystal in the Seven Kingdoms, a title it held for centuries

The Hall had large windows on the outer side covered by panes of Myrish glass each larger than a man. On the Upper floor area of the wall, the clear glass has been replaced with an elaborate mosaic of stained glass depicting both imagery and geometric patterns. The lower windows showed the Kings Garden, expertly sculpted it would put even the famed gardens of Highgarden to shame.

And on the inner side it featured a large tapestry covering the wall. The tapestry was of a flowers, repeated into an unending patters covering the entire first floor with the Baratheon sigil in the middle. It would have been impressive enough but it served only as the backdrop to three series of large 12 foot Volantene marble statues depicting the Baratheon Family facing directly into the hall and the gardens opposite.

The first was one of the King and his supporters triumph over the Targaryens. All of them were depicted at the they were in the rebellion, though Prince Renly was made taller even compared to the magnified heights of the statues. King Robert was depicted raising his Warhammer in triumph, the statue so detailed that if one peered closely one could see the veins jutting out from the pressure as he gripped the hammer hard, his face set in a triumphant grin, while behind and on his sides stood his brothers as well as Princes Rickard, Jon, Eddard and Elbert and also Lord Denys. On one side were Prince Renly as he hugged a copy of the Seven Pointed Star, the book nearly covering his entire left side of his torso, while Prince Stannis stood to attention holding a banner of the Crowned Stag, the carving of marble so detailed most would think it fabric and not stone. Standing directly on either side of the King, between his brothers and the others, only slightly behind, were Princes Rickard and Jon Arryn, holding swords (Ice in case of Lord Rickard) in one hand. Prince Rickard also held the Scale of Justice while Prince Jon held a large scroll, again the stone so thin you would think it to be real, only the top part of which was unwound and in it one could see the words "The Great Charter". Meanwhile on the other side, balancing the blood brothers of King Robert were his foster brothers. They too held held swords in one hand and their Houses Banner on poles in the in the other Hand. Lord Denys however would hold neither sword nor banner rather he would hold in his hands a carving of a pillow, with the Antler Crown of House Baratheon on it, this was a separate piece made of gold. Each statue was carved with such precision and beauty one could almost see the movement of the men as they came to a halt.

The Second series depicted the King Robert's Coronation. In the foreground the King had knelt as the High Septon placed the Crown on him, the Cardinals were depicted in the background holding the many jewels and tools needed for the ceremony and offering prayers.

And the Final one was not of humans but depicted a dead three headed dragon, dead with its belly facing up and a war hammer, the ancestral blade of House Stark, Ice, and a Blade with Vale designs were embedded into its flesh. in the center, on top of the belly a large crowned stag stood triumphant and was flanked by an equally as large Direwolf and Falcon

Each statue was decorated with jewels, in fact the clothes of the men were made from jewels with marble acting only as flesh and items.

After seeing the Audience Hall they were taken to the Chapel which was equally elaborate, and also shown the central gardens enclosed in the courtyard, before being dismissed. The ball rooms, feasting and dining rooms and dance halls were to be sealed and guarded until the evening festivities.

Despite seeing only a short portion of the Palace it drew very strong reactions from all present. These ranged from being disgusted by the excesses when the Crown while broke, mixed with a larger helping of jealousy at the luxury and wealth. For it was and many ways still is, first and foremost, a monument to excess and wealth unmatched in Westeros and indeed the world, surpassing with ease the palaces of the Magisters, Archons, Triarchs and distant Kings of Essos who dwelt beyond the shattered Valyrian penninsula which had inspired its creation. Its jewel and gold encrusted halls are more expensive that all but the greatest keeps. The nobles were very impressed with not just with the cost but also the beauty. Even the ordinary hallways were more richly decorated than the personal chambers of all but the richest lords. With glass chandeliers, porcelain carvings from Yi-Ti, and shining gold everywhere

The guest chambers given to the nobles were also decorated with every manner of conceivable luxury, each chamber had a large Helen mirror for the full body and one for the upper body when sitting down on the dressing stool, a stool which was intricately carved, gilded and expertly painted; further each room had chandeliers with Myrish crystal glass, clear windows, intricate marble carvings lining the edges of the walls, Nathi silk curtains, Ironwood furniture and solid gold candleholders, each unique and each a priceless work of art; also present were washing fixtures in the chambers, each made from Yi-Ti porcelain, with more detailed portraits than the most expensive tapestries . The 8 Lords Paramount each received dedicated apartments decorated with every luxury under the sun, even greater than the ordinary guest chamber not to say the other guest chambers were anything plain.

Lord Alyn would get much praise from the assembled nobles, and so would the King who was immensely pleased with the Palace, giving Lord Alyn many thundering pats on the back and declaring that he would receive the seat of the guest of honour for the duration of these celebrations.

Later that evening after a few hours the nobles gather in their fine clothes in the central garden, appreciating not just the expertly tended-to gardens but also the sculptures made by the finest artists in Essos, each detailed enough to look alive and in motion. Also a magnificent sight was the large glass roof, clear as day, its edges and iron pathways creating a magnificent artwork in and of itself. It was in the middle of these gatherings, the prelude to the opening of the already infamous Hall of Mirrors that many claim the Ball of Madness truly began with the previous events in the red keep such as the Godwood council serving only as the prelude.

Prince Joffrey was proud from all the appreciation of what was to be his future Palace. There in the gardens the Prince was holding a court of young nobles and was rightfully boastful about the palace and its beauty, drawing the appropriate comments of appreciation from the assembled young nobles. The Crown Prince who had been incensed by the greater favor and popularity his cousin Prince Steffon had been able to gather earlier in the Red Keep now saw things returning to the "Proper" order and was clearly pleased by it.

Those gathered around the Crown Prince included Princes Steffon, Robb, Jasper, Orys and Lords Loren, Willas, Tion, the sons of Lord Denys Arryn, Ronnel and Lucerys and many others including the heirs of the Lords who had followed the wardens and those who were present in court such as Edwyle Windstrider son of Master of Coin Lord Rickard Windstrider. Also present were the siblings of Prince Joffrey and Prince Steffon. With Princess Myrcella holding her own court of young noblewomen though their numbers were much limited in comparison as the visiting lords had brought only their sons as the official reason was to plan for war, an activity which did not require their daughters.

There in the gardens Prince Robb Stark concedes to the beauty of the Palace, claiming he doubted he could even conceive of such a place before looking at an example like this. But then would make a small jape about the crown bankrupting itself over the cost, for he doubted even the Lannisters could afford such a display of wealth. At this jape Princes Jasper and Steffon give small polite laughs and seeing them the rest of the assembled lords do too so to not be seen being left out.

This however was the wrong action for the jape, an insult born of envy and wrapped in humour it may be, was harmless, a barb that was part and parcel of any court. However for whatever reason it greatly angered Prince Joffrey who took great insult to it where others, even a Crown Prince, may have ignored it or suitably retaliated with a bard of their own.

Turning Lannister red and displaying the famous Baratheon Fury Prince Joffrey would not retaliate suitably, instead he would call Prince Robb a broke heretical savage, envious of the crowns wealth for he and his house were too poor to afford such a display. The Crown Prince would then insult the clothes Prince Robb was wearing calling them "more suitable for a merchant than a so-called Prince of the North". Prince Robb who indeed was in "plain" clothes, with of course plain being relative or a style of dress for the clothes were made from materials worth their weight in gold, with intricate pattered lining worth 100s of gold dragons alone, is not outwardly not bothered, schooling his face from surprise to measured indifference at Prince Joffrey's outburst. Prince Robb would hit back claiming that he only spoke the truth for if the Crown could indeed afford the palace then why has it borrowed one millions of gold dragons from "Poor savages"?.

To this Prince Joffrey dismisses Prince Robbs claim by stating "My House has lent more". It was here seeing opportunity that Prince Steffon, always one eager to undermine his cousins standing, see's a chink in Prince Joffrey's armour and claims "I was not aware House Baratheon had lent more than a million gold dragons to the Crown". Prince Joffrey would insult his cousin about his own poor status and then replies he was talking about House Lannister, realising a minute too late that the heirs to the Stormland Houses were also present. The news that the Crown Prince considered House Lannister to be his House at least as much as House Baratheon was not new information to essentially anyone. Indeed everyone had already seen how his personal crest had the Lion of Casterly Rock in equal stature to the Crowned Stag of Storms End, still this caused a small storm in court for many laughed at the prince's foolishness to state such a fact so openly and in doing so undermining his standing with the Stormlord's as he showed equal favor to the Westerland lords who would have happily killed his father, and the Stormland lords, as he did those who had held true through the dark days of the Rebellion.

But while most lords laughed it off Prince Jon Arryn and Lord Tywin Lannister would end the day being more concerned over the increasing alienation of the Stormland lords from King Roberts children as well as the increasingly blatant attempts of Prince Steffon to undermine Prince Joffrey with Lord Tywin allegedly telling his sons Loren and Tyrion that if action was not taken soon Steffon Baratheon would grow from being an annoying boy to a man who would be a threat to Joffrey's reign and to the might of House Lannister.

As the sun dips beneath the horizon and night comes the King formally invites the court to see the Hall of Mirrors, the grand ballroom and main hall of the palace and without a doubt its most impressive one. Many paintings, songs and poems would be dedicated to the Hall of Mirrors which would be called one of the most impressive halls in not just Westeros but also the world. Indeed over the centuries more than one noble family would empty their coffers in an attempt to recreate its grandeur.

It was at the inaugural ball of the Hall of Mirrors that Princes Robb and Jasper met Lady Olenna Gardner, the Queen of Thorns. Their interaction would be relatively brief but she would be impressed enough with the princes for after exchanging a few barbs she would ask them, "any chances either of you have a sister with brains? My son has not had much luck on the front and I wont let my grandson suffer the same fate." showing that despite the years since it was actively discussed the Gardners were still looking to match with the Starks or Arryns.

The next morning a grand hunting trip was organized by the King. Originally it was meant to only include his foster brothers from the Vale and their sons, so that the men could have fun together like in their childhood. However Prince Jon quickly puts a stop to that, declaring that it would be unacceptable for the King to leave the palace and its nobles which such a select party. Instead it was decided that the King and nobles from all the realm, not just the Vale were to go hunting, and that they to leave some of the Lords and all the heirs and ladies at the palace ,with the hunting party size limited as too large a party may scare away the animals.

Both Lord Tywin and Prince Jon also join despite not wanting to go on account of their age and a mutual dislike of hunting. This was as neither wished to allow the other the opportunity to join such a gathering of High Lords without them self present as well. This would turn out to be a rather big mistake for the presence of even one would have prevented the madness from occurring.

That day once the Kings Party leaves the remaining Lord and Ladies of the court spend their day dancing, singing and feasting. Meanwhile the young lords soon begin having mock duels using tourney blades in the garden under the supervision of Ser Jamie and Ser Aerys Oakheart of the Kingsguard who had been left behind to guard the Royal Family. The young lords were cheered on by the ladies of the court, most of whom dipped in and out of the dancing to see the matches, as well inundated with advice from the few lords left behind most of which was unwanted, as most of the lord left behind were administrators to put it politely.

Here after many battles it is decided to have 2 vs 2 duels, and soon Princes Robb and Jasper make a streak of five victories. Crown Prince Joffrey, still somewhat incensed about the jape from yesterday mocks their skill claiming his own skill was superior. Soon Prince Jasper who had grown tired of the Prince's hostility towards him, invites the Crown Prince to join them in the field and prove his own skill and validate his boasts. The Crown Prince accepts and declares his uncle Lord Lancel, the squire to the King, shall be his second.

The Princes did not dominate the Lannisters as some accounts claim, nor were they simply lucky as those written by the Westerland lords state . Rather the accounts from that time by those whose were neutral in their political leanings stated that the battle was somewhat even before their higher skill and the superior coordination of the Princes, developed on being familiar with one another due to the time they spent together in Winterfell and their previous matches, allowed them to win. Despite this relatively small and honourable loss the Crown Prince was greatly incensed and felt humiliated before the court. Emotions shared by his mother the Queen Cersei, who was also watching for when the nobles heard of a match between the Princes all the court gathered to see the battle.

The Queen demands Ser Jamie do something to recover the honour of his Prince. As the court watched and wondered if the Kingsguard would truly join the fights Ser Jamie is stopped from doing so by a combination of Lord Rickon Windstrider, Lord Jory Cassel and Lord Loren Lannister. The matches are declared over and the Court is quickly invited to a feast.

Next day the nobles are surprised to hear that court is to be held in the early morning despite the absence of the King and Prince Hand. The nobles are to gather in the audience hall even before breaking their fasts, when some protest and demand to know the reason they are told that all the nobility in the palace has been summoned by order of the Crown Prince and the Queen and that was reason enough.

There that morning, in front of the court which held nobles from across Westeros Crown Prince Joffrey, with support of his mother Queen Cersei, declares a trial is to be held. Princes Robb and Jasper are summoned forth and are accused and then immediately found guilty of trying to purposely harm and kill the Crown Prince during their battle yesterday.

Queen Cersei declares that as their attempts failed and to show the realm the mercy and generosity of her son the Crown would provide them mercy if they kneeled and apologised.

At this the court was quickly split between those who were outraged at the treatment of the Princes and those who were pleased that the Arryns and Starks were being put in their place. Princes Robb and Jasper furiously dispute that charges and Prince Robb denounces the concept of being found guilty before being able to speak in their defence.

Also coming to their aid is surprisingly Lord Tyrion Lannister who tries to get the Queen and Crown Prince to drop the charges. However the Queen shuts him up by ordering Ser Amory Lorch who had stayed behind as part of the Queen retinue, to cut out Lord Tyrion's tongue if he speaks again an order which the Crown Prince agreed with and one which Lord Tyrion did not try to test.

During this time Prince Joffrey became more impatient and demanded that the Princes Robb and Jasper kneel and apologise or he would show no mercy. When neither did so Prince Joffrey in front of the court sentenced them to death as traitors to the crown, shocking the court, and even the Queen, which broke out in chatter as they tried to comprehend what was happening. More than one Noble who had been present at Harrenhal would compare the morning to that where Mad King Aerys sentenced Lord Brandon Stark to death.

While the court is in chaos and no one can be heard over the loud chatter, Lord Ronnel eldest son and heir to Lord Denys sends his younger brother Lord Lucerys, who is soon riding out at full speed, into the forest with a handful of Arryn and Velaryon men to find the Kings party and call them back immediately. His absence not noticed due to the chaos.

Soon the herald is able to bring the court back to order. It is at this point Prince Steffon steps out of the crowd. Standing in front of the court and the dais which held the Kingswood Throne, Prince Steffon denounces the trial as a sham and declares the court should wait until the King returns. Before anyone else replies, Crown Prince Joffrey, who has never liked his cousin sentences him to death as well, calling him a traitor who covets the Iron Throne, a charge which while ultimately would be proven true later was not something the Crown Prince should have sentenced his cousin for at that time and in that manner.

Queen Cersei who had realised that the relatively mundane scheme to bring the Princes in check by humiliating them in front of the court had quickly spiralled into a genuine crisis, one which if not stopped immediately would only create more problems. She tries to get her son to show mercy, a course of action he disagrees with. However the Queens efforts would not be given the time to succeed for Prince Jasper speaks up then and declares that if the sentence is carried out it would lead to war, promising the Vale would not stand for it. Prince Joffrey in turn declares that he would crush the Vale as his father crushed the dragons. He further adds that if need be he would crush the Stormlands and the North as well.

This declaration shocked the court into silence, as the Crown Prince declares his contempt for the three kingdoms which had put his father the Iron Throne. In that moment of silence, a moment after a declaration which would go down in history, Prince Robb bursts into laughter, not a polite or fake one, but a deep belly laughter. A laughter that was more humiliating to the Crown Prince than any insult or angry burst ever would be. As he was joined by the other princes, though theirs would be clearly fake and forced the Queen of Thorns, Lady Olenna would apparently be heard remarking " This is more entertaining than all the mummers I have seen in decades, this Ball of Madness" by many, giving the incident its name.

Trying to cower the Princes into submission Prince Joffrey strips the title of Warden title from the Starks and Arryns, making his uncle Ser Jamie Warden of the East and his grandfather Lord Tywin Warden of the North. At this point the queen is trying desperately to shut it all down realizing the damage being done. She tried dismissing the court over the orders of her son but the court would not leave and miss this spectacle.

As Prince Steffon protests again, seeming very gleeful for a man sentenced to death, Prince Joffrey removes Prince Steffon as heir to Storms End, also stripping it from his uncle Prince Stannis he gives the seat to his brother Tommen. At this Queen Cersei realising that she must stop the court now before rebellions break across Westeros and doing so directly would not work, asks that the Crown Prince give those sentenced a day to put write their will and get affairs in order, as well to contemplate their actions with executions to be done the next day, hoping to buy time.

At this Prince Joffrey hesitates wanting to show all the assembled nobles his might. Lord Loren Lannister intervenes and reminds him that as a benevolent and powerful king he should not be to hasty to prove his strength for that showed weakness rather than decisiveness and confidence. In this the Lord is supported by his half brother Ser Jamie who is not only noticing the fact that the court is very tense but that the Lords and Heirs of the Vale, Stormland, North and even the Reach are getting ready to draw swords. Worrying about a fight breaking out and a massacre occurring he asks Prince Joffrey to agree and Joffrey reluctantly does. The Princes are sent to their rooms under and the court is dismissed.

On his way to his rooms Prince Steffon is able to catch the eye of and beckon Lord Sunglass, a friend of his uncle Renly and a crownland Lord. In his room he demands that Lord Sunglass go to his Keep about two hours ride each way from the Palace to gather his household guard and bring them. When Lord Sunglass protests Prince Steffon reminds the nervous lord that right now it’s the Westerlands against every other kingdom due to Joffrey's foolishness and that the King would never actually uphold the sentences.

In the meantime, Lord Loren sends his younger brother Lord Tion with a small contingent of Lannister guard into the woods. Lord Tion is to summon the Kings Party and return with them post haste. Also at this time Lord Ronnel runs to the raven tower, which was a short distance from the keep.

A small tower it was mostly, but not exclusively, filled with ravens to the Red Keep allowing for multiple messages to be sent by the King to the Red keep as needed. There Lord Ronnel wrote two short messages to Winterfell and the Eyrie. Short and to the point "Prince Joffrey sentenced Prince Robb and Prince Jasper to death".

As all this is going on the court is in chaos, the Queen Cersei at this point is devoting all her efforts in trying to limit the fallout while her twin Ser Jamie is trying to change the mind of Prince Joffrey for neither Lannister twin were under any illusion on the fallout of the sentences being carried out.

It is said that Ser Jamie was successful in persuading the prince but if this is true is lost to time. In this stories support is the fact that Crown Prince had made known that during dinner there would be a new proclamation, but before that happened the Kings Party returned. The King who had only a partial view on the events at this time was still angry, both from what little he had heard and also from having his hunt interrupted.

At the entrance they were met by Lord Tyrion and Lady Olenna. While Lord Tyrion tried to explain away the situation as a misunderstanding Lady Olenna would have none of it and declared bluntly "From tomorrow morning the Crown would be at war with the Stormlands, North and Vale after an unjust trial and murder, it brings back not-at-all-fond memories of when I was a hostage of Aerys the Mad" As more details are provided King Robert and his party is increasingly enraged. Indeed so enraged is the King that when the Crown Prince appears the King punches Prince Joffrey in the gut so hard the Prince collapses, and when the Queen protests he backhands her so hard she too falls. The King dismisses the nobles who had been gathering, and only allows the Great Houses to be there, to the disappointment of much of the court who would miss this spectacle.

Needless to say everyone is livid. Lord Tywin is livid about the foolishness of the Crown Prince and the impact on not just the future reign of Prince Joffrey but also the impact on House Lannister, the Starks and Arryns are livid over the Princes being sentenced to death with Prince Eddard remembering the tragic murder of Lord Brandon, Prince Stannis is livid for his son had been sentenced to death, a sentence which if carried out would have been a kinslaying. Prince Stannis was also wroth over the breaking of the laws of the Realm and the Great Charter in particular for he was one of the most law bound lords in the realm. Adding to this is the proclamation stripping his seat from him.

Queen Cersei and Crown Prince Joffrey are also angry about being hurt by the King and in their eyes humiliated for trying to keep treasonous vassals in line. What records we do have state that during this all only Lady Olenna was having a gala time, apparently finding the whole situation the most amusing spectacle in decades.

Of course King Robert reverses the sentences given by his son but the damage is done and even the King knew it. As news spreads the realm is shocked and no one would be forgetting or forgiving what happened anytime soon.

Excerpt from the Letters of Lord Tyrek, son of Tygett Lannister as recorded by Maester William of Casterly Rock for the Lannister Archives

After the Kings Party returned from their hunt, that very night my cousins the Queen Cersei and Ser Jamie were summoned by Lord Tywin in his chambers. Built specifically to host House Lannister, which shared the honour of dedicated apartments with the other Lord Paramount's. I realized just how angry Lord Tywin was when he began drinking, it was the only time I had seen him drink on a day other than cousin Tyrion's birthday when he drinks to forget Aunt Joanna.

I was in the corner of the room , silent, for once glad of being overlooked by all. When the golden twins enter they are silent. A ugly mark mars Queen Cersei's face from where the King hurt her, meanwhile Ser Jamie is simply unable to keep the fear from his face the moment he saw his lord father drinking.

The only person looking calm is Cousin Loren, who was sitting next to me, but closer to Lord Tywin. I do not know how he was so calm, at least Cousin Tyrion tried to stop the madness, Cousin Loren did not even do that much.

After finishing his last cup Lord Tywin broke out into a long lecture and while he did not raise his voice I almost wish he did for his silent and calm demeanor was infinitely more terrifying when one took into account the look in his eye. Lord Tywin was not a Kinslayer, the fact that my cousins and Prince Joffrey lived through the night is perhaps the greatest proof of the fact. Though I'm sure if Lord Tywin could have made my nephew Tommen into the Crown Prince without Kinslaying he would have done so then and there. It is difficult to remember all the words for my memories are too tainted with terror but it could be boiled down to the fact that by failing to control Joffrey they had risked Lord Tywins legacy and he was very angry with them. Lord Tywin accepted no excuse and honestly despite Queen Cersei's protests the only surprise was that she thought he might, after all everyone knew Lord Tywins obsession with legacy after grandfathers misrule. Once his eldest two were suitably cowed he turned his wrath to his Heir, Cousin Loren, who again looked unconcerned.

When asked what he had to say in his defence he said words ill never forget. "The fact it occurred showed it was bound to happen and all told I'm happy it happened now" words that seemingly shocked Lord Tywin into silence, it certainly did for everyone else. The greatest mis-step in recent history and he is happy it happened now, not during an ordinary court day but now, where every house of importance is gathered?

Using their silence as an invitation Cousin Loren began explaining that in his mind once he realised that the Crown prince had indeed sentenced the heirs to the North and the Vale to death, it was best to let it play out and not interfere. Adding his voice would only make things as worse as possible for if he voiced his support it would make it seem that House Lannister supported and indeed even instigated these ridiculous pronouncements Prince Joffrey's arrogance and stupidity had conjured; on the other hand disagreeing would only create a gap for their enemies to exploit. Thus in his mind if Cousin Loren did not intervene, he explained, then it became easier to pass the whole incident off as immature actions of the Crown Prince and only the Crown Prince with House Lannister an innocent bystander. Further cousin Loren was sure that any sentence would have been overturned by the King and the worst of the damage contained by the Kings friendship to Princes Elbert and Eddard.

Cousin Loren also stated he would have done everything to delay any sentence if the king had not returned by night, if need be by breaking the Princes out of their rooms and spiriting them away to Kings Landing which would have also shown House Lannister had nothing to do with this madness.

Loren then goes on the offensive, reminding his Lord Father that in the end Prince Joffrey is a Baratheon, and thus like the King is a double edged sword due to his temperament. He accused Lord Tywin, accused Lord Tywin where did he get balls that big?, that in his blind ambition he has tied the fate of their House to an immature boy, that Fury is all and good during the heat of the battle, but it take patience to build a dynasty to last a thousand years. Loren said that this was an opportunity for House Lannister to publicly distance themselves from Joffrey until he matured and in the meantime their aim should be to limit fallout so that they are not seen as reckless, but rather as wise and responsible Lords who could be trusted to steward the reign of a temperamental King like Lord Tywin had done with King Aerys II.……………….

After the Ball of Madness the Royal Court returned to Kings Landing with a dark cloud hung over them. The friendship between King Robert and the Princes, and the blood bond between the Red Keep and Storms End had prevented the worst but Prince Joffrey had lost the support of two of his most important Lords Paramount with even the support of the dutiful Prince Stannis now in question.

As the moons passed Prince Jon Arryn sends his nephew Lord Denys Arryn as an envoy to Volantis in order to bargain with the Triarchs of the city to not support House Targaryen, using trade deals as his lever. Accompanying him is his wife Lady Daenaera Arryn and her brother Lord Corlys Velaryon who had been persuaded to make the trip despite him getting sea sick. Their presence was deemed necessary as it was their blood, blood which in the past two generation came from the merchant princesses of the Black Walls which would provide them with not only access to the Black Walls but also some allies who could be used to prevent at least some daggers from the shadows. Indeed it was hoped that even if Volantis had already joined with the Targaryens they would balk at killing a family whose members shared the Old Blood of Valyria.

Also part of the group were Lord Denys' eldest son Lord Ronnel Arryn who would not be left behind and whose mother wanted him to be better connected to his Valyrian and Volantene heritage. Somewhat surprisingly Lord Kevan Lannister was also announced to be part of the delegation. His presence was essentially to act as bait, for the Prince Hand believed that the Targaryens may be more willing to show their hand if they believed that doing so would allow them to strike Lord Kevan, who had been the one to betray the Targaryens and who ordered the Sack of Kings Landing.

As the delegation departed the Small Council got no respite for word soon started coming in from across the realm as the consequences of the Ball of Madness became manifest. From the records of Maester Wendel we have many accounts of a Small Council in despair over the actions of Prince Joffrey and fearful of what he had unleashed.

Lord Varys would report that Prince Stannis, who had returned to Storms End with his family for a few moons, was wroth with the actions of his son, who he felt was purposely failing his duty in supporting his current and future Kings. Prince Stannis never openly accused his son for plotting treason but it was a sentiment which the other lords concurred with and as such many in the small council now feared that the cruel gods had played another one of their beloved japes and that perhaps the most dutiful and law-bound man in the seven kingdoms had a would be traitor for an heir.

However more worrying than a future revolt by Prince Steffon was the fact that Prince Stannis was even more wroth with Prince Joffrey, who had sentenced his son to death and tried to steal Storms End from his family. This fury had also spread to include Robert who he felt had been too lenient with his son for such an offense.

As such the Ball of madness served to worsen the already degrading relationship between the two branches of House Baratheon. Of great concern were the actions Prince Stannis and his Goodfather Lord Hoster Tully would undertake in the year following the Ball.

Prince Stannis would redouble his efforts to build up Storms End, hastening the building of the new fortified village just outside its walls and building every deeper tunnels and stores into the cliff. According to the reports by Lord Varys even if Prince Stannis did not plan to revolt he did not trust his nephew and the Lannisters to not attack his family in the future.

Meanwhile the Tullys would on the Western Side of Riverrun build a new moat some distance away. In-between the old and new moats they would build stout walls and in those walls a large Winter Village with many grain houses and storehouses and large homes to house many smallfolk's, this was officially done to encourage trade. Things got so serious that Prince Jon even convinced the king to start attending some of the Small Council sessions.

Indeed it was not just the Tullys and the Baratheon's of Storms End, according to his little birds Lord Varys reported that the whole Realm was preparing for a war, a Dance of the Stags to match the Dance of the Dragons. Though not all the preparation was to actually fight in the coming war, Lord Varys told small council. Many were simply going to stay neutral. Chief among them were the Starks and Arryns who were now trying to quickly seal an alliance, announcing in the year after the Ball the betrothal of Princess Darla Stark to Prince Jasper Arryn. As part of the pact the two Houses also agreed to not make any matches outside their bannermen without the permission of the other and to make no matches to either branch of House Baratheon. These last parts were part of a secret pact that Lord Vary's little birds had found.

Prince Jon Arryn offers to write to Prince Elbert to disavow the secret clauses, an action the King agrees with for he had not given up on his desire for a Stark Bride for his son. The Letter would be sent but only after the strong disagreement of Lord Varys had been noted for he had said doing so would only inflame suspicions that the war was indeed inevitable and push the realm further towards an abyss.

Meanwhile across the Realm many anticipate the coming war. Among the Iron Born, led by the bitter remnants of the Greyjoys, they hoped for a war to divide the Greenlanders and leave themselves open for reaving and plunder for Balon Greyjoy still hungered for a Crown and even more for vengeance.

From Courts of Dorne came a desire to take the power and influence that had been denied to them a generation ago and from Sunspear came a hunger to use the chaos to inflict the pain on others that was inflicted on them.

And from the chivalrous court of Highgarden came the not so chivalrous schemes to secure more power for themselves and a Crown for their daughter Margery.

The latter years of the King Roberts would be peaceful and prosperous but equally composed of great plotting beneath the surface, seemingly each year even greater schemes were hatched, many not even to the knowledge to those who unwittingly participated in them.

Chapter 20: A Confrontation in Volantis and the Unmasking of the Dragon

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Volantis, often called Old Volantis and the First Daughter, is located at the mouth of the Rhoyne on the Summer Sea, it is the oldest and the proudest of the Nine Free Cities. It's importance is seen in many fields and in many ways, from trade to art, from law to education. Even in the realm of religion Volantis is a Landmark with the Great Temple of the Lord of Light being located in the eastern half of Volantis, and according to Archmaester Gramyon it is about three times the size of the Great Sept of Baelor in King's Landing, a suitable seat for such a popular faith .

Volantis was one of the greatest powers in Essos, both during the freehold and after its demise it remained one of the wealthiest free cities and a great centre of culture from across the world. Indeed in every port of the western seas where money could be made the Volantene merchants were there and in Volantis one could find the spices, clothes, foods, tongues, peoples and gods from across the world, indeed the Volantene boasted that if something could not be found in the markets of Volantis it did not exist . Further, despite depopulation by ancient wars it is still the most populous of the Free cities, dwarfing all the cities of Westeros and in Essos only matched somewhat by Braavos after its great expansion.

The city of Volantis is divided into two. On the Western bank is its bustling markets, its shops and most of its inhabitants. This is New Volantis. On the other hand on its eastern bank stand the Black Walls of Volantis, also called Old Volantis. This was the original city raised by Valyria and while in ages past it was a military fortification guarding the Rhoyne today the Black Walls protect a large labyrinth of palaces, courtyards, towers, temples, cloisters, bridges, and cellars. The Black Walls are a great oval of fused black dragonstone, harder than steel or diamond, built two hundred feet high by the Valyrian Freehold and their magicians. It is wide enough for six four-horse chariots to race around its top abreast, as is done each year to celebrate the founding of the city.

Many inside the Black Walls keep the old gods of Valyria, but R'hllor is favored outside the Black Walls to the extent that the great temple despite its size is never empty, patronized by slaves and freedmen both.

It was here in the black walls the Triarchs and power brokers of Volantis lived.

Volantis by calling itself the First Daughter of Valyria laid claim to being it greatest and rightful heir, and indeed came closest to rebuilding the ancient empire during the Century of Blood. The Volantene tried to first seize control of the divided free cities as the Helen league which had existed as a ceremonial relic had become a firm defensive pact following the doom. The Volantene thus tried seizing the entirety of Western Essos with the Free cities and the bustling trade cities of the Rhoynar princes, which had been rebuilt under Valyrian Freehold after the Second Spice War. But whereas previously under Garin the Great and Princess Nymeria the Rhoynar had resisted the Valyrian's with all their might, now seeing the example of the ruins of Chroyane, which had been forbidden to be rebuilt and realizing Valyrian and Free City rule need not be that harsh to live under the Rhoynar Princes refused to resist with any true fire or effort. After the Doom the Rhoynar continuing as they had in the Freehold, a hybrid people whose laws, language and culture now had more in common with the free cities and the people like the Ghiscari than they had with their Dornish cousins.

Thus resistance to Volantene expansion came from the Free cities and their own vassal cities, which despite their common heritage were also each unique and did not see the Volantene as their rightful rulers. The Pentoshi, for example, still had their strong Andal blood heritage with as many of its noble families claiming decent from those Andals Hugor of the Hills left behind as those who claim the blood of Old Valyria, and of course after so many years of intermarrige the claims are really one in the same for the oldest families. Further the influence of the Ancient Andal tongue is clear on the Pentoshi dialect of Bastard Valyrian, distinguishing their tongue from the Volantene. Though the Faith of the Seven and the culture it inhabited had been wiped out millennia ago due to its opposition to slavery.

So too unique were the people of Norvos and Qohor who were different from the Valyrians in language and religion. Indeed in terms of speech the gap is to the degree that both Novrosi and Qohori are considered completely separate tongues and not the bastard tongues of High Valyrian the way the languages of the Ghiscari are.

In this war the Volantene proved their might. Through war they were successful at taking control of Lys and Myr, while also marching armies up the Rhoyne to take a larger share of its fertile land and the Rhoynish cities. When they tried to take Tyrosh, however, Pentos fearing and knowing it was next joined the Tyroshi, and Lys and Myr rebelled while their Volantene garrisons were low. The Sealord of Braavos also provided ships to aid Lys to prevent further Volantene expansion, and Argilac Durrandon, the Westerosi Storm King, joined the conflict and led a host into the now Prosperous Lands, which at the time were known as the Disputed Lands. It was Argilac's host who defeated a Volantene host which had been attempting to retake Myr.

But the greatest blow came when Aegon Targaryen, Lord of Dragonstone, accepted an alliance with Pentos and Tyrosh against Volantis, flew to Lys, and set ablaze a Volantene fleet preparing to invade the city. This blow, the slaughtering of the armies of the Heir to Valyria by the last of the Dragon riders, was too much to bear. Aegon Targaryen crushed the spirits of 100 men for each one he killed and thus many claims single handedly won the war for the enemies of Volantis then and there.

Volantis was further defeated at Dagger Lake, where galleys from Qohor and Norvos destroyed much of the Volantene fleet which had been on the Rhoyne. This meant that the Volantene had to retreat as the Rhoynar princes who had given their allegiances earlier easily, revoked them just as easily. As such centered around dagger lake exists a network of independent Rhoynar city states creating a buffer between the larger and more powerful Free cities.

The War ended soon afterwards as the Volantene faction favoring peace, the elephants, took power from the tigers, and negotiated an end to the fighting which had drained the Volantene of blood and treasure. In the centuries since never have the tigers regained power in Volantis.

After the Century of Blood the Old blood who dwelt in the Black Walls had a queer relationship with the Targaryens, for there was much hatred with Aegon the Conqueror burning their armies, but there had also been much reconciliation, with his descendants, the Kings of Westeros, on many occasions aiding Volantis, especially in terms of dealing with the Kingdom of the Three Daughters which House Targaryen hated.

Despite its wealth the true strength of Volantis came from its armies, for each of the Free Cities was wealthy but only Volantis was truly skilled at war on both Land and Sea. It shunned the Free Companies and raised it own armies of both slave troops and freedman, some of the finest in the world. Indeed if there was in Essos a force which had the willingness, martial strength and gold to help the Targaryens win their crown it would be the Volantene for among the only other two powers in Western Essos strong enough to even contemplate intervening in Westerosi affairs they would find no help.

Braavos had too much to lose by alienating the Baratheon's and too little to gain and thus would remain neutral; Further the other Great Power of western Essos, The Kingdom of the Three Daughters was too afraid of being conquered by the Iron Throne again as it had under King Daeron the Young Dragon and would not help the Targaryens even if the two sides were somehow able to get over their traditional hostilities stemming from the conquest.

The Following is composed from the many accounts written by those who were part of the Delegation to Volantis.

When the Arryn delegation arrived in Volantis they were greeted by both the kin to the Velaryons and also the Triarchs of Volantis. All, even those without Valyrian blood, were declared honoured guests and as part of the ceremony at the entrance of the Black walls were welcomed with great pomp and celebration. They were taken to a manse prepared for them and were said to be as charmed with the wealth and splendour that dwelled in the black walls as they were disgusted with the slaves they found.

For a sennight House Arryn and Velaryon would enjoy the amenities on offer, see the sights and rebuild and renew relations with their kin. Even Lord Kevin was busy, using his entry to the homes and parties of the highest elite of Volantis to explore deals to be made between the Westerlands and Volantis, primarily around reducing trade barriers. But soon this would be over and the entire Arryn delegation would be summoned to the Triarchs Palace. There Lord Denys Arryn as head of the delegation would speak on behalf of King Robert Baratheon and offer trade deals if the Volantene promised to stay neutral and offer no support to the exiled Targaryens.

The delegation were somewhat alarmed but not truly surprised to hear that the Triarchs were already contemplating an offer from House Targaryen, one which promised much more than mere trade deals for their support in the upcoming war. To this Lord Denys would counter that King Robert held the firm support of 6 of the 8 Lords Paramount of Westeros, and of the 2 which did not support him fully, they were the lowest of them all, having the least wealth, the least men and the least ships.

The delegation was dismissed soon after that.

The next day the delegation was summoned once again, however instead of having an audience with the Triarchs they are directed to a new set of chambers. It held a large table and on the wall were detailed maps of Westeros and the Narrow Sea. But what was the truly surprising sight were the people who also entered the room.

There on the other side of the Room a herald would announce in the Royal Andal tongue the entrance of King Viserys III, Queen Rhaella, Princess Daenerys, Hand of the King Lord Lucerys Velaryon and the three knights of the Kingsguard, Lord Commander Gerald Hightower, Ser Willem Darry and Ser Oswell Whent.

Needless to say tensions were very high in the room. King Viserys III looked especially angry but the rest appeared to be much calmer at least outwards. It was Queen Rhaella who spoke first, greeting the delegation and congratulated Lord Denys and Lady Daenaera on their marriage and children, as well as Lord Corlys for the same.

When Lord Denys thanked the Queen for her kind words and returned them telling her he was glad to see another one of her births were successful the Queen broke into bitter laughter signaling the end to the politeness.

The Queen would state that she wanted nothing more to kill Lord Kevan, wanted to have him stabbed a hundred times and then have his head bashed in, in a similar way his dogs murdered her grandchildren and she did not care for the consequences.

Lord Kevan would counter that if she truly did not care for the consequences he should have been dead by now. Calm despite the threat to his life Lord Kevan would admit to his crimes, declaring that war was not a ball or a dance, it was brutal and violent with no one off limits to its horrors despite them being as young and innocent as the royal children were said to be, and even in the end they were not for their blood, the blood of the Mad King, made them guilty. Lord Kevan declared he did what he had to do and wont apologize for his actions, and in any case the past was the past and no one could change it now.

Queen Rhaella countered that her grandchildren were indeed innocent, that they were victims of their grandfather too but Lord Kevan dismisses the claims saying that while the Queen and her family were indeed victims of the Mad King in a sense, this did not absolve them of the crime of being too weak to confront and contain the Kings madness, "How many innocents burned for your weakness and your husbands madness, Rhaella?" the question rang clear and loud as Lord Kevan almost shouted it out "How many of us would have died had the Mad King won the war? Would you have saved me? My Brother? My niece and nephew? The other members of the Great Houses you and your house took as hostages, is our innocence to the crimes dreamt up by the Mad Kings mind important to you? You have not changed at all, a weak women who goes around crying to everyone as if she was as powerless as a beggar living on the streets and not a Queen" Stunning the Targaryen party which seemed too angry with his accusations to coherently reply.

When Lady Daenaera spoke to voice her concurrence, declaring that House Targaryen had only itself to blame for its fate, King Viserys III ordered her to "Shut UP you Turncloak whor*, who betrayed your blood and became a kinslayer by marriage" but before Lord Denys could defend his wife's honour she would retort "Am I of your blood and am Kin now? You were there when your father dismissed my house as no better than smallfolk merchants unworthy of our lineage, unworthy of claiming any connection to the High and Mighty House Targaryen. I will NOT be insulted by a craven man who fled rather than decided to fight for his rights". Lord Denys would agree and declared that the Targaryens should have stood up for their rights at the Great Council, as honour demanded, rather than fleeing.

Moving on from glaring at Lord Kevan when hearing that remark Queen Rhaella would confront Lord Denys on how he dare speak about honour after he and his House broke their oaths, committed treason and supported and rewarded the murder of her grandchildren by marrying the usurper king to the Lions not despite but because of their actions during the Sack of Kings Landing.

Lord Denys hits back and asks for the honour in the murder of Brandon Stark, looking the Lord Commander directly in the eye as he said so, and also asks what honour existed in the kidnapping and rape of Lady Lyanna Stark by her son Prince Rhaegar. He also asked "where was your honour when in the Last Decree your husband sentenced all of us to death?".

As tensions rise both sides get ready to draw swords, only for the Volantene guards to bang their spears to their shields, a reminder that the parties were bound by oaths of hospitality and the laws of Volantis to not shed blood, least they surrender their own lives as punishment.

This would reduce tensions from the boiling point. But of course both would remain in a stalemate.

King Viserys III would declare his intention to take back his rightful throne though Lord Denys would counter that he had no chance, he had no allies and that despite the bad start King Robert was popular among the nobility. Further Lord Denys declared that no one wished to see the reign of another Mad King.

The Targaryen Hand of the King Lord Lucerys would toss a scroll to Lord Denys, in it would be a proclamation he requested be sent to all the Houses of Westeros, Great and small, promising that those who bent the knee would be spared and would retain their lands and titles, but those who would continue this defiance would be punished severely. Lord Denys would promise to send the proclamation to all, as was proper according to his role as an envoy.

Queen Rhaella would make one more attempt, asking Lord Denys to justify the enormous debts racked up by King Robert, asking if Robert would indeed by that popular if he could no longer spend the gold needed to bribe the nobles into being loyal? Lord Denys would be unconcerned declaring that the debt was owed to Casterly Rock, Highgarden and Winterfell meaning that the Crown had plenty of options. If need be Casterly Rock could buy the entire debt and allow the Crown to pay it back at a lower interest rate all over again, as had happened under the reign of King Aerys II.

Lord Denys would then turn the question back on the Queen, asking her to justify any Westerosi House fighting for her now that they had no hostages.

As the signal came from the Volantene that the meeting was over the Lord Commander Gerald Hightower would end the conversation by reminding the Arryn delegation that the Westerosi nobles still had many in their ranks who remembered their oaths, the true oaths they made to the Targaryens. They would have no lack of supporters.

Needless to say the confrontation in Volantis was a meeting which would go down in history and provoke strong reactions in Westeros once it was made aware of it. It would not be repeated for the Targaryen delegation would seemingly leave that day and the Kin to the Velaryon's would confirm the Targaryens did not live behind the black walls, neither did they maintain a Manse there.

The Arryn delegation would spend another moon in Volantis before being summoned by the Triarchs again. There they were told that Volantis would indeed remain neutral but demanded more tariff reductions. After nearly another moon of haggling and despite some reluctance, for this would turn out to be an expensive neutrality to buy, Lord Denys would mostly concede to the demands of the Triarchs and would leave Volantis soon after with his mission accomplished. He had confirmed that the Targaryens Lived, that they still hungered for the Iron Throne and were ready to strike when an opportune moment presented itself. He had also deprived them of a key ally, or so he believed.

As the Arryn delegation returned to Kings Landing and the news of the confrontation was spread far and wide even more pieces on the board began to move into place.

Chapter 21: As the Water becomes Still

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In the years following the Ball of Madness and the return of the Arryn Delegation from Volantis, Kings Landing becomes the site of great intrigue and shifting fortunes. The greatest of which is the so called "Fall of the Falcons" which is in a way terribly named for the Falcons did not fall from any office nor title. But rather the name describes the shifts in the Royal Court where the Falcon faction increasingly fell from influence, not too much for Prince Jon Arryn was still Hand of the King, but enough that they had the weakest level of influence since Roberts Rebellion.

While Prince Jon Arryn remained as Hand of the King he had in many ways lost the faith and favor of King Robert. Among his many "crimes" according to the King were the Prince Hands shared failure ,with that of his nephew and Roberts childhood friend Lord Denys Arryn, in killing or seizing the Targaryens in Volantis even though doing either would mean that Lord Denys, his wife and his heir would also have died.

Worse for the Hand was that the two branches of House Baratheon, the Baratheon's of Storms End and the Baratheons of Kings Landing, also known as the Lion and Stag Factions, which till now had concentrated all their efforts on one another had changed strategies. Now the two other factions turned on the Falcon, which earlier had soared above the fighting and seized the heights of power. Along with attacking the Falcon faction at court individually, at many times the Lions and Stags even cooperated with one another to take down the Falcon faction. Soon the supporters of Jon Arryn found their hands full trying to survive the (for now political) onslaught and massacre. It's members unable to sleep from fear (for their offices and titles, and the salary and perks that came with them) and forced to run away (to other parlours and salons in the Red Keep) from the (currently metaphorical) daggers aiming for them.

This is as House Arryn was now both a much greater threat but also at the same time more vulnerable. In the months after the Arryn delegations return, in the year following the Ball of Madness, the Direwolf's and Falcons announced the betrothal of Prince Jasper and Princess Darla, younger of the Stark twins, and in doing so House Arryn had secured at least two generations of alliance with the Starks not including the friendship of Princes Elbert and Eddard. This alone gave the Eyrie enormous leverage for the south had not yet forgotten, nor would it ever truly forget in the future, the might of the North. Not after foolishly ignoring it in the generations past.

Further the Arryns already had the support of most of the Reach nobility in the Royal Court, with Prince Jon trading relief from the many sanctions placed by Lord Tywin during his time as Hand of the King for their support, but this was an alliance of convenience which was running increasingly on inertia as the last of the sanctions were removed and the last of the trade barriers such as the three extra inspections on Arbor wine sold in Westeros eradicated. Now the Falcons were seeking a deeper and truer alliance by actively negotiating a betrothal of Lord Willas, Heir to the Reach and Highgarden and Princess Rowena, the only daughter of the Eyrie. This meant the Arryns, Starks and Gardner's would soon be bound in a blood alliance which would control a majority of the Men and Ships of Westeros and could arguably overpower even the Lannisters in terms of gold.

The creation of such an alliance undoubtedly scared the rest of the Great Houses and especially House Baratheon of Storms End and the Lannister's. Indeed if something was not done then the Arryns would be able to render the Royal House Baratheon of Kings Landing as ceremonial kings only nominally in charge, for at least two generations.

The Falcons ruling as de-facto regents through the office of Hand of the King. Worse was the fact that there was no easy way to break or neutralise the alliance. The Starks refused all betrothals for their other daughters and to marry Lady Margery Gardner would only serve to replace the Arryns with House Gardner at best, though even that was dubious as Highgarden would likely let the Arryn's keep the Office of Hand of the King in order to not alienate them or House Stark which had been using the Arryns as a proxy for relations to the Crown and most of the south.

And yet, it seemed the Falcons would not be soaring to new heights just yet. For one the alliances were not firm yet as neither had the marriage between Prince Japer and Princess Darla occurred not had the betrothal between Highgarden and the Eyrie been finalised. Further, one of the main pillars of Arryn influence, the absolute support of King Robert for Prince Jon Arryn, began to crumble before these other two pillars could be erected. Thus these two factors had helped in creating a window of opportunity for the Baratheon's of Storms End, Lannister's of Kings Landing, Tully's and Lannister's of Casterly Rock to secure power and reset the board in their favour before it was too late. This window was also propped up with the knowledge that the Starks, powerful though they may be, were wary of being dragged into fights in the South which had nothing to do with them, meaning they could be persuaded to not intervene directly unless war erupted and Robert Baratheon's hold on the Iron Throne threatened.

In his Last Years on the Iron Throne, in a much less violent but much more drunk parody of the Mad King Aerys II, King Robert began lashing out at his Hand. But where the Mad King did so out of fear and paranoia of being killed by his Hand, the Fat King did so out of frustration with his life and the knowledge that Prince Jon Arryn would not abandon him no matter what amount of hateful words he spewed.

Indeed according to court records it was common for Prince Jon to comfort the King after their disputes, more than the King to apologize for his actions. Indeed the King only apologizing on the few occasions the Hand walked out, and always immediately when he did so. The King was also more likely than the Prince Hand to break down in tears after one of their fights despite starting them.

Indeed Prince Jon is known for saying a now infamous line "There is no one who we love to hurt more, than those who love us the most" in regards to the King's fury when one evening the King ,drunk on wine and brandy and in front of the assembled court, mocked the Prince Hand for failing to have children of his own bloodline, a very sore point for the Prince Hand and one which even his enemies were hesitant to use openly for they knew his claws would be sharp in any retaliation.

The reason for this is found in many sources. As mentioned the King blamed the Hand and House Arryn over their failure in killing or seizing the Targaryens in Volantis. Further sources of the Kings frustration, frustrations he took out on all people including the Prince Hand were the immense dislike he held for his heir Crown Prince Joffrey, telling Lord Denys before he left for Volantis:

"The thought of Joffrey on the throne, with Cersei standing behind him whispering in his ear scares me, scares me so much I cannot sleep. My son is as cruel as he is craven, as false as he is temperamental. I have never been good at counting coppers, nor have patience for the Game Jon loves and indeed lives for, but I was also never as foolish as the boy. He says he wants to be as strong as me but he spurns all practice in the yard and refuses to work hard and get dirty, and he scorns my greatest strength, my friends. Joffrey has no friends, only sycophants.

He sentences Ned and Bert's sons, good lads both of them and better than him by a hundred fold, to death over nonexistent slights! How could I have made a son like that, Denys? And how could I have been so blind to his madness for so long?"

Indeed the King would ,openly and publicly, unfavorably compare his Heir to Prince Steffon Baratheon and his other "nephews" Princes Robb and Jasper. This feeling had existed even before the Ball of Madness, indeed after the Ball many in court and the King himself would recount the incident where after learning a kitchen cat was pregnant, Prince Joffrey killed the animal and cut open its belly to see the kittens inside. This would be held up by all as proof of the Prince's madness not being recent and would be used by many as a constant mark of shame against Prince Joffrey, though it would serve as only one of many incidents where the Prince continued to disappoint the King.

Indeed it seemed the King preferred every heir and second son in the Seven Kingdoms other than his own, once telling the assembled nobles of the court "Have you seen Garland's boy, Renly's Master of Arms? The Knight of Flowers, they call him. Now there's a son any man would be proud to own to. Last tourney when he dumped the Kingslayer on his golden rump, you ought to have seen the look on Cersei's face. I laughed till my sides hurt." This was especially damming for Prince Joffrey for everyone knew the disdain of the King for the Gardner's but now he spurned his own son to praise the third son of House Gardner.

After the Ball of Madness, there would be a shift in the King's attitude. Whereas previously he had blamed Queen Cersei for Crown Prince Joffrey now he would come to also blame and in some ways hate the Starks and Arryns, mostly for refusing to visit Kings Landing and for refusing to let him foster their heirs in the Red Keep. And in doing so, the King would declare to the Court in drunk rambles, they had prevented Crown Prince Joffrey from growing up with the kind of men who would have straightened him up, the kind of friends who would have not accepted his nonsense and indeed may have helped make him a man King Robert could be proud of.

Other frustrations the King took out on the Prince Hand was persuading him to take the Crown in the first place during the Rebellion. Over his last years the King increasingly came to resent sitting on the Iron Throne and unlike in years past its luxuries were no longer strong enough of a balm to soothe the aches that came with the Crown. According to the letters of Lord Windstrider the King would once tell him in these years "I have dreamed of giving up the crown. Take ship for the Free Cities with my horse and my hammer, spend my time warring and whoring, that's what I was made for. The sellsword king, how the singers would love me. The Court and the snakes would also be happy to see my back, Cersei would have sold her own jewels to buy the ships to take me away. You know who stops me? Jon, he would have me back in this Keep, my cage, within the sennight even if I made it to Ulthos beyond Asshai before he found out. I could send every noble a raven in my own hand announcing my abdication and he would have every Maester, Steward, First Septon and Cardinal denounce it as false by next morning and then have the High Septon crowning me again in Baelor's Sept by the day after, just in case.

And I know your response, the Lannisters would not stand for it and let me free, Wrong! Jon would order Elbert and Ned to crush the Lannisters if they fought for Joffrey, not that Tywin would, not now, not so soon after the Ball where Joffrey proved his madness to all the Realm.

And Jon says its because I have a duty to the realm especially as Joffrey is not ready, but I know, I know! Even without the Ball of Madness, even if Joffrey was the Old King Jaehaerys reborn Jon would never have accepted my abdication, just as he did not accept a no when he told me I should be king all those years ago. He needs me to be King just as much as I need him to be Hand.

For I have no other, not even you Rickon, or that damn Stannis who is now controlled by Catelyn's tit*, who gives a damn about me beyond what I can give to them or because the law and oaths they swore said they should care about me . But Jon does, he loves the Game, loves the intrigues and the power but he also loves me, not King Robert Baratheon but just Robert, just as much. And I have to be fine with that, to be fine with 'just as much' because that’s the most I'm getting."

The King was also frustrated with his wife Queen Cersei who he had grown to hate and who hated the King in return. Their match was not made out of love, but few noble marriages were and almost none held the absolute hatred the King and Queen had for one another. This hatred had many sources, the Baratheon sources claimed that Cersei hated King Robert from the start due to Robert being neither Rhaegar Targaryen nor the Kingslayer Ser Jamie. This alleged hatred is why she allegedly cuckolded the King with her twin, Ser Jamie. But the more plausible reason were the actions of the King.

King Robert "claimed his rights" frequently during the early years of their marriage, his drinking led to him hurting Queen Cersei during their sexual intercourse, leaving her sex and breasts sore and painful as well as littered with bruises and aches. Once, according to court tales of Kings Landing, during their first year of marriage, Queen Cersei confronted Robert the morning afterwards, telling him that he had hurt her and showing her black eye as proof, he claimed it was because of the drink, and he was not to blame. Then when he tried to take another horn of ale, Queen Cersei smashed her own horn in his face, chipping his tooth. Robert claimed not to remember anything of those nights, but Queen Cersei is said to have believed otherwise, and was certain that King Robert did recall what he did to her, but felt that pretending to forget was easier than facing the truth, a habit which he excelled at if his reign is any indication.

King Robert was even frustrated with his own body which had grown fat and weaker over the years. While still a strong man in absolute he was no longer the Warrior reborn as he had been as a young man, worse the Ball of Madness and the gathering of all his foster brothers had shown the King that only he had degraded as much, only he had not retained a relatively slim body. A fact the king greatly resented and once again blamed the Hand for, for in King Roberts mind Prince Jon should have prevented his decent into gluttony and stopped him from becoming "More Fattened Pig than Majestic Stag". This was not helped with the king refusing to give up the feasting, wine and brandy that was required to regain his old body according to the advice of Grand Maester. And so the King stewed in his own frustration more and more.

While the King sat frustrated on the Iron Throne, and the political battles in the Red Keep raged, preparations were made for battles of blood and steel across Westeros. In the Riverland's the Tullys prepared Riverrun for siege by building the new moat and winter village. After all the Queen and Crown Prince had all but called for their blood in the years prior over the dispute for Harrenhal, a prize that House Tully was unwilling to let go for with Harrenhal entailed permanently to Riverrun the single biggest disadvantage House Tully faced, Bannermen as strong and rich as them, would disappear for with the Lands and wealth of Harrenhal they would gain an unquestioned advantage over the rest of the River Lords.

And especially with his father dragging them into the battles between the Baratheon's in order to secure more power, Lord Edmure Tully was under no illusion that Riverrun would receive the Crowns protection when the Lannisters felt secure enough to fight them.

Meanwhile the Lords of the Western Riverland's began looking toward the Golden Tooth pass with dread for all knew the Lannisters had no friendship for the Riverland's and would show no mercy, not after hungering for the Iron Throne for decades and deciding they and their liege were one of their biggest obstacles in their march to absolute power. As such traditional guardians of the west, such as House Piper and Vance began to prepare in both small ways, securing more food, stocking up their coffers and sending more spies to be better forewarned and larger ways as well such as building walls around villages in strategic locations such as fords and crossings.

In Storms End Prince Steffon Baratheon doubled his study of War and Strategy taken from time spent on the courtly arts and hunting. While this occurred he was also spent time overseeing the completion of the new underground stores and the new walled village being built by his father Prince Stannis. While his father wanted only to defend his home and ensure his family never went hungry like he had during the siege, Prince Steffon studied the maps of all the lands from the Sea of Dorne to Iron Mans Bay. For he had a much bigger prize he wanted, he was not satisfied with duty, nor unlike his grandfather Hoster was he satisfied with status for his daughters. No Prince Steffon hungered for the Iron Throne itself.

In the Red Keep Queen Cersei, defiant after the humiliation at the Ball of Madness, did her best to teach her son the way of the Game of Thrones so such a mistake wont be repeated. Meanwhile the Queen was also planning a way to bring the Baratheon's and Tully's to heel, deeming them the biggest threat for the Queen believed that the Starks and Arryns loved her fool of a husband too much to be a threat to her children no matter what her father believed.

In the preparations against her Kin by marriage she was joined by her father Lord Tywin who also viewed House Baratheon of Storms End and House Tully as the most immediate threat to House Lannister, one which needed to be brought under control in order to combat the less immediate but much worse threat of the rapidly materialising Stark-Arryn-Gardner Alliance.

What made combating this alliance so difficult for Lord Tywin was unlike the Baratheon-Tully's it was not possible to simply overwhelm them. Further the easiest and simplest solution to neutralize the threat, the marriage of Margery Gardner to either his grandson Joffrey or his son Lord Loren was unacceptable, for while easy and simple to do it would mean either they were desperate or foolish or both.

Not only would it be a surrender to the Gardner influence he had fought against his whole life, meaning it would ruin his reputation across Westeros, a reputation which was as much a shield for the present as it was a legacy for the future. Furthermore the marriage would also be a disaster for Lannister control of the Iron Throne in the long run. For Lord Tywin had no faith in Joffrey being able to control his would be wife outside of raw violence, a fact he had stated on many occasion to his confidants. And further said that even if a war could be avoided over said violence it had no indication of working for long. Indeed Tywin would use the example of King Aerys II, where despite using significant violence the King had no control over his wife who held the loyalty of his Heir Prince Rhaegar. Lord Tywin similarly was worried that Joffrey would not be able to control his heir should he marry Margery Gardner and that she would end up making sure his children were Gardner's first.

On the other hand Lord Tywin apparently had equally less confidence in his Heir Loren. In the letters of Lord Kevan which were added to the Lannister archive Lord Tywin describes his heir as being too susceptible to the argument of weakening the Iron Throne in favour of the Lords Paramount, a course of action he was sure Margery Gardner would push him towards. Indeed this would be the main difference in Grand Strategy between Father and Son, for Lord Loren, deeply distrustful of his half siblings and half-nephew wished for greater independence from the Iron Throne while to Lord Tywin such a strategy, while it had its merits, was not to be followed when it would be House Lannister which would lose the most by such an action.

Not only would it weaken a Lannister King, it would also give a much freer hand to the other Kingdoms, Kingdoms who needed not to be given more power but to be more closely bounded to the new Lannister led dynasty. Further the main benefit of reducing the influence of a future King Joffrey, more power over the Westerlands, was useless to them. In Lord Tywins mind House Lannister unlike the Gardner's and Starks, did not need more power over their lands and bannermen for Lord Tywin had seen to it in their youth that they were the unquestioned rulers of the Westerlands among their bannermen and the future King Joffrey would grant them whatever rights they wanted as needed. But unfortunately his heir in his youthful blindness was too stubborn to accept the reality, or so Lord Tywin apparently thought.

On the other hand Lord Loren according to accounts from the time was still wary of the power of the Iron Throne and that of their bannermen. He viewed them more of a threat than as tools, believing that his fathers reputation would not last a minute after his death and unlike in the past his bannermen would not allow for a repeat of the aftermath of the Reyne-Tarbeck Rebellion and would work to constrain their liege lords who had grown too powerful for their comfort, an overcorrection from the days of Tytos.

During this time the rest of the Kingdoms were not idle. Really the only person in all the Seven Kingdoms who could not see the coming war was the King, who was very good at becoming blind when convenient. King Robert thus did not take any action which may have averted the coming calamity which would befall his House. Though many would question if it would have made a difference if he had tried, for by this point it was too late.

Chapter 22: Tense Times as Thunder sounds in the Distance

Chapter Text

The Year 300AC along with marking the 300th anniversary of the start of Aegon's Conquest, marked from when he set foot at the site at what is now the city of Kings Landing was also an important year for the realm and its future in many ways. Many events would have important repercussions and consequences in the future.

Just before the new year began, the Royal and Oldtown Citadels sent ravens across Westeros, not white ravens, but black ones announcing the commencement of the Longest streak of summer years in centuries. The optimistic counted on their good fortune and thanked the gods for their blessings. Many would also use the announcement to celebrate rising prosperity of Westeros. However one group who was not happy with the continuing summer were the Maesters themselves, while they did not believe and indeed rallied against the superstitions of the smallfolk, those who studied the seasons agreed that there was truth to the saying that a long summer was always followed by a long if not longer winter. As such on the advice of the citadels across the realm many houses would begin preparing for the coming winter years. In the lands stretching from Oldtown and Thorn Hill in the south to Snowfort and Castle Black in the North the realm saw the start of a great deal of work building granaries and storehouses, for many worried much food would be required to manage the transition from summer to winter years, where the bounty of harvest would go down as the days got shorter and colder.

But for every lord diligently spending gold and getting ready for the future there was another who felt wine, clothes, jewels and parties were a more worthy cause. Among the more carefree lords, particularly the younger ones who had grown up knowing only an age of peace and plenty, relatively few were too worried, most rather celebrated the ever longer summer. And soon even the most cautious and diligent Lords were suitably distracted by the upcoming events, handing over preparations to their stewards as they prepared clothes, jewels, travelling equipment and armours for themselves and their households. For among the main events announced in the year was a Grand Tournament at Harrenhal, it would be hosted not by House Whent but the King and would seek to mark not just 300 years of Westerosi unification but also sought to mark 20 years since the rebellion against the Mad King. The date of the tournament being much later in the year, on the anniversary of the Battle of the Ruby Ford rather than the start of the Rebellion.

Also announced in that year was a series of Weddings and Betrothals which greatly impacted the landscape of alliances and allegiances across Westeros and each one would be well attended and would seek to display the wealth and might of the Houses eager to display the bounty of the long summer.

First and foremost was the North. Princess Karla the elder of the Stark twins was betroth to Jon Umber the Younger, also called Smalljon Umber to differentiate him from his father the Greatjon, with the wedding taking place the next year. This was a very important victory for the Umbers for not only would it give them a strong tie to Winterfell for at least two generations, it also gave them much prestige for this would be the first Princess marrying into the Northern nobility in three centuries. This would also intensify the battle for the hand of Prince Robb who was now nine and ten years old, a good age for marriage, one which every maiden in the North coveted.

Also important to note was the actual wedding of Prince Jasper of the Vale and Princess Darla of the North, who got married earlier despite being the younger twin, at the start of the year. Their marriage had three main ceremonies; The first was a northern wedding in Winterfell Godswood. There was no bedding or consummation at this ceremony and was primarily undertaken so that all members of House Stark could see Princess Darla get married, for the ancient law that there must always be a Stark in Winterfell would mean someone would have to be left behind otherwise. A northern wedding would also allow the vassals of the Stark family to more easily attend the first Stark wedding in a generation. This was followed by a formal baptism of Princess Darla into the Faith of the Seven in the Gulltown Sept in a ceremony presided over by the Cardinal of the Vale. This was a requirement of House Arryn who felt it necessary due to their status as the oldest of the Royal Andal lines in Westeros and one of the earliest advocates of the Faith of the Seven in these lands. This was followed by an Andal wedding in the Eyrie or rather in the Great Sept of Eyrie Town, this of course refers to what is now called the Old Sept of Eyrie Town. The ceremony was attended not just by some of the principal Houses of the North, but also all the Houses, big and small, from across the Vale with many taking particular note of the attendance of the Five Valley Clans who had maintained ties with the Starks through the Bank of the Moon for generations. It was also this ceremony that representatives from across the Realm attended, and was presided over by the High Septon himself. Further along with the splendor of the marriage there was also a tournament in the newlyweds honour. Finally on the day of the wedding the Arryns distributed large sums of food and gifts to the people living in the Falcon Lands, or the lands directly controlled by House Arryn.

Further important events were the formal betrothal announcement of Lord Willas Gardner of Highgarden and Princess Rowena of the Vale. The announcement was made a moon after the wedding of Prince Jasper and Princess Darla. This cleared the path to the formation of the Stark-Arryn-Gardner alliance and was a validation to the efforts of House Gardner, for whom it was assurance that Highgarden would not stand alone, nor would it let itself be weakened during the reign of the future Lannister-in-but-name King Joffrey. A King who ,without the threat of the alliance, would likely continue House Lannister's shadow war against House Gardner. A shadow war which had already cost them much coin for a generation.

Also of note was the well attended marriage ceremony of Lord Ryam Reyne, fourth child and first son of Lord Ronnel Reyne and Matilda Reyne formerly of House Lannister. He was married to Lady Lynnette Lannister of Lannisport in the Golden Sept of Lannisport. The marriage ended Lord Ryam's long fostering in Casterly Rock and also fulfilled the accord which ended the Reyne-Tarbeck Rebellion. By now the Reynes of the rebuilt Castamere were once again the second wealthiest and powerful House in the Westerlands, but one who had undoubtedly learned their lesson.

Lord Hoster Tully would also send ravens across the Realm announcing the Betrothal and the soon to be held wedding of his son and Heir Lord Edmure and Lady Betha Blackwood, Sister of Lord Tytos Blackwood of Raventree Hall. The wedding was undertaken less than a moon before the Tournament at Harrenhal, allowing for all the Riverlords to gather at the wedding and then attend the Tourney Together. Lord Hoster also announced an anniversary tournament to be held the next year, one which would hopefully not be overshadowed by the Kings Tournament and where hopefully he would also celebrate the a grandchild being on the way if not already born. As Lord Tytos Blackwood's' wife was a Mallister, whose own sister was married to Lord Mooton of Maidenpool, this marriage gave the Tully's a strong support base amongst their bannermen. In all probability Lord Hoster was hoping this alliance along with the soon to be acquired lands and incomes of Harrenhal would allow House Tully to finally establish itself as the unquestioned Lords of the Riverland's. A position they currently held only in law.

Further matches included the possibility of one of the greatest diplomatic triumphs of House Baratheon. The King would tell many members of the Royal Court, that the Crown had begun talks of marrying Princess Arianne of Dorne to Prince Renly Baratheon of the Narrow Sea. A second son of the union (or first son if their eldest was a daughter) would end up inheriting Prince Renly's name and titles. This was a shock to the Realm who did not think such a marriage would transpire given the bad blood between the Baratheon's and Martells but one which could only benefit the crown if it went through. As nobles across the realm were intrigued and shocked, no one was more surprised than Prince Renly himself who had not been informed about this match. In the coming days as word spread many nobles at Court could hear his angry shouts throughout the Red Keep. In the end it was all for naught and the Dornish would reject the match in a moon of so. Speaking of the Royal Court it saw a major change in its alliances when Lord Edwyle Windstrider, son of Master of Coin Rickon Windstrider, would marry Lady Alyssa Velaryon of Kings Landing in the Queen Betha Godswood in Kings Landing. Along with bringing his father Lord Rickon into the Falcon faction the marriage would also create a lucrative commercial alliance between the Southern Windstrider Trading company and Velaryon Trading company.

Other important events which were not marriages which marked the year included the birth of Torrhen stark, the youngest son and last child of Prince Eddard and Princess Marla Stark, born three moons after the wedding of his sister, his birth a welcome surprise to the wolves. And also came the announcement that the Eyrie town collegium would take on its first class of 12 students. An important step as the now ancient institution began its journey to become a true centre of learning.

The Year 300AC would also see the coming of the Great Red comet, known by many different names including Red Sword, the Dragon's Tail, the Red Messenger, the Bleeding Star, and the Herald of Azor Ahai. The Great Red comet was distinguished in many ways. It had an unusually long tail that to some appears to cover half the sky. Further unlike others it appeared to have been visible from across the world. Furthermore not only did it stay visible for an unusually long time, It was visible by day and outshined the moon at night.

While few realised it at the time, the coming of the Red comet would herald the coming of a new era in Westerosi history.

The Great Tourney of Harrenhal was a wonder to behold one which lived up to and surpassed the splendour of its predecessor twenty years ago. All the Houses of Westeros were invited and it seemed few if any outside the Iron Islands had rejected the offer for according to those who attended both Tournaments the one in 300AC seemed to have one and one half of the number of the 280AC tournament. And even then there were indeed Iron born nobility present though small in number and generally shunned by the rest.

As part of the preparations the entire Keep was cleaned, mended and furnished, a task which it is said took the better part of the year even though the crown sent hundreds of servants to complete the task. All the feasting halls were opened and it is said that a total of 5,000 servants were needed for the entire tournament not including those brought by the visiting nobility themselves. Fresh and hot food was served in the five halls each two hours from morning to night each day to accommodate the crowds. And for the participants large tents were erected serving food, water and wine so that they need not waste time traveling in and out of the keep.

Five melee grounds and three jousting grounds were prepared in Harrenhal to accommodate all the participant. Further 4 stages were set up for mummers and other entertainment. Outside the great keep's walls lots had been provided for merchants to set up shop. While the larger and more prominent one required payment all who asked for it got some space and soon it seemed a new market town had sprung up and despite the competition all merchants are recorded as having done a brisk trade.

In the Sept of Harrenhal the High Septon himself led the prayers, while many nobles would be seen making generous donation to worthy causes in the area. Even with what was spent elsewhere the poor saw a much larger uptick in aid and alms, even without the coin provided by the many new jobs.

The tournament consisted of three main competitions the joust, melee and archery contest. The prizes were forty thousand gold dragons for the winner of the joust, twenty thousand dragons for the runner-up of the joust, twenty thousand dragons to the winner of the melee, and ten thousand dragons to the winner of the archery contest.

Five thousand would be given to the winners of the side competitions, these were the Singers Tourney, the Axe throwers competition, Horse race and a separate Hedge Knight Jousting and Melee competition. The Prizes which had been announced in advance were certainly eye catching and helped to attract more of the Nobility and hedge knights alike.

To the surprise of many the King also participates in the melee, in a ceremonial round of course, for the King while angry at the fact understood no one would truly dare to strike him in an actual tourney match. Hence in the ceremonial round the select knights understood their role in actually fighting the King. And despite instructions not to do so by the King who wanted the best man to win and did not seek false glory, the knights also understood they were to lose the battle no matter what, but elegantly and not blatantly for to do so blatantly could be seen as mocking the Crown.

The Tournament would also see the Princes Feast. Here on the seventh day of the Tourney, Lord Tywin Lannister, Lord Hoster Tully and Lord Garland Gardner would kneel before the King and the assembled nobility. They would once again swear oaths of fealty and then the King would personally grab them by their shoulders and raise them to their feet as Princes of the Realm. This fulfilled the promise made in the Great Council which inaugurated the Baratheon Dynasty with two decades deemed long enough to show fealty. Further Prince Hand Jon ,who of course was also in attendance, felt that delaying the granting of Princely titles any longer would only create problems for already the disparity in the titles of the various Lord Paramount's was creating tensions between said Lords Paramount and the Crown. Especially as both the Lions and Stags factions wanted to honor the Lannister's and Tully's respectively. This meant the only Lord Paramount to remain with the title of Lord was Balon Greyjoy. A fact with which both parties were happy with for the Greyjoys did not want to be "False and Soft Greenlander Princes" and the Lords of the Sunset sea did not want to see the Iron Born honored in any way.

The day after the Princes Feast, at the end of the Melee, where he had been eliminated but gave a good show, the King would order the Bastard of Winterfell Jon Snow to kneel. After having him swear to not covet the inheritance of his true born Kin, the King legitimized Lord Jon Snow who was given the name he had so deeply desired for so long; Becoming Lord Jon Stark of Winterfell. This was done on the request of Prince Eddard with the approval of his father Prince Rickard.

To the surprise of many however there would be no incidents at the Tourney. Both the previous tourney at Harrenhal as well as the Ball of Madness had not set a good precedent. However while the Gods were kind they cant be given all the credit. King Robert had made it clear to his family that nothing untoward would be tolerated, a stance which was much supported by Prince Tywin who did not wish for his grandson to stain the reputation of House Lannister like he did in the Ball of Madness. Part of the peace can also be explained by Princes Jasper and Robb mostly avoiding Prince Joffrey who in turn was on his best behaviour, though he spent little time with the visiting Lords preferring the company of his courtiers.

The Tournament would become a major event where the nobles of the Realm, particularly the young ones were introduced to one another. It was previous friendships and alliances be reaffirmed. Many matches, fosterages and the like were negotiated at Harrenhal. And many more which were negotiated before hand were announced, chief among them was the announcement of the match between Lord Dickon Tarly, Heir to Horn Hill and Lady Desmera Redwyne of the Arbor and between Lord Edric Dayne and Lady Gwyneth Yronwood. Some even claim that there was a aborted attempt to mend the ties of the Baratheon family by announcing the betrothal of Prince Joffrey and Princess Cassana of Storms End and that Prince Loren Lannister made enquiries of a betrothal between himself and Princess Margery Gardner, but these are just rumours.

As the year ended another very important event occurred, though one whose importance would not be made clear until many years later. Melisandre of Asshai, a Red priestess of R'hllor and a shadowbinder would come to these shores from the Great Temple of the Lord of Light in Volantis. She brought with her many retainers including fellow priests, warriors, servants and stewards. She also had letters of introduction from two Triarchs of Volantis and asked joined the Court of Dragonstone for the time being and gifted Prince Renly fine jewels and art in homage.

For Melisandre of Asshai was convinced that Dragonstone was the place of smoke and salt amidst which Azor Ahai shall be reborn and would take the first step in his journey to defeat the Great Other in the War for the Dawn. A journey and war whose start would be heralded by the events of a war in the sunset kingdoms, a war which would see terrible evil be commited by the servants of the Great Other. Curious about her supposed magic powers and realizing that she could be the key to many potential allies from across the Narrow Sea Prince Renly did grant her a place in his Court, on the condition she refrain from preaching to the Westerosi for Prince Renly did not want to inflame tensions on the island. A condition which undoubtedly angered her but one which Lady Melisandre, as she was introduced to the Dragonstone court, promised to abide by, in the start at least. But it is known within less than three moons Prince Renly would give permission for a Red Temple to be built on the island, not including the room that was offered as a prayer room and shrine when the Volantene delegation came in the first place.

The coming of Melisandre of Asshai would drastically impact the fate of the Seven Kingdoms and Prince Renly.

The success of the Tournament and the lack of incidents, along with the long summer meant the realm was taking joy in its own prosperity as the year 300AC ended. Many hoped that the turbulence in the Royal Court of the last few years would end and this peaceful and prosperous era would continue forever. The realm was also heartened by the fact that the Targaryen threat which after the Confrontation in Volantis had looked so inevitable and immediate had faded away, with nothing heard of the dragons in the years since.

But of course it was not to be.

In the beginning of the year 302 AC the new bridges of Kings Landing, the Prince Arryn Bridge and the King Robert Bridge were completed and so too were 3 more of the Seven Stag Septs that were ordered to be built at the start of King Roberts reign with only the Sept to the Stranger remaining.

Then just a few moons later, in the middle of the year, Prince Jon Arryn, Hand of the King, Prince of the Vale, Lord of the Eyrie, Defender of the Eyrie town and the High Road, Warden of the East and Head of House Arryn died. This death was a shock to the Realm at large for he was considered robust for his age, but he became ill one night and quickly wasted away.

Prince Jon's personal maester, Colemon, tried treating an assumed stomach illness by purging the body. The moribund Prince Jon kept rotating through a chant of the name Robert; Calling for his heir Prince Elbert, his Great-nephews Princes Jasper, Artos and Nestor and his foster sons Prince Eddard and Lord Denys to come meet him one last time, though only Lord Denys who happened to be visiting the Red Keep could do so; Asking for forgiveness for his failures and also demanding he be taken home to the Eyrie, wanting to see the view from its heights once more. His final words were to the King and his foster son, these were "the seed is strong". Afterwards, his speech became too slurred to comprehend and he died the following morning.

And so the pieces start placing themselves in position more rapidly than before.

After Prince Jon's death, King Robert ordered the bells of all the Septs of the City be rung and sent ravens to all the corners of Westeros announcing his foster fathers death. The reactions would be of shock and announcements of formal mourning periods in all the noble courts of the land. For all acknowledged ,even the members of the Lion and Stag factions, that Westeros had witnessed a Kings death in truth for such was the power held by Jon Arryn who had ruled while King Robert had reigned. But along with shock and mourning came intrigue for with Prince Jon dead the board of Kings Landing was about to be reset in a way it hadn't for a long time, not since the Targaryens were ousted.

King Robert would also send a separate raven to Winterfell, in it he would offer the office of Hand of the King to Prince Eddard. Originally the King had wanted to go to Winterfell, using the issue as an excuse to leave the city but the bad blood that still existed due to the Ball of Madness and the fact that Prince Eddard would need the permission of his father Prince Rickard to accept stayed his hand. After all King Robert was under no illusions and he knew that that despite their friendship if his father forbade it Prince Eddard would never agree and the risk of a rejection was high. For unlike with Prince Eddard, there had been no King Robert with his legendary charm to calm the tempers of Prince Rickard when he had heard of the events of the Ball of Madness and he was still angry on the matter, indeed he had made the depths of his fury and displeasure at the Crown Prince Joffrey clear at the Great Harrenhal Tourney of 300AC.

Another issue that forbade the King from taking the journey up to the North was the knowledge that the Realm was tense as it was, with the balance between the factions precarious and the risk of some sort of war over Harrenhal, limited in scope it may be, high. Even King Robert who willingly blinded himself to the intrigues at court realized that it was up to him until he could get a Hand of the King.

To the Kings disappointment Prince Eddard does indeed reject the offer and so too does Prince Elbert, his second choice. In the end King Robert makes Lord Denys Arryn, Lord of Falcons Rush as Hand of the King and in doing so alienates his brother Prince Stannis, and the Queen who wished for it to go to her father Prince Tywin. But by doing so King Robert kept the balance in court. For now at least.

Lord Denys as Hand of the King maintains the current Lords in their existing offices in a bid to keep the peace between the Factions. He would also send his sons away, and with them their Velaryon cousins, to the Eyrie. Officially to foster with theirs cousin to renew ties but in truth as a way to keep the children safe from being manipulated and used as hostages for non political, non metaphorical daggers and poisons loomed. Lord Denys was convinced the death of his uncle was due to murder despite the pronouncements of the Maesters and the King. Lord Denys is especially alarmed when he here that Maester Pycelle advised Maester Coleman to stop purging the body. This formed the basis of his belief that the death of Prince Jon was possibly committed by the Lannisters and was related to the ever present prospect of an open clash between the Baratheon-Lannisters and Baratheon-Tully's over Harrenhal, which in turn would see Prince Stannis of Storm's End emerge as either a shadow King of Westeros or would see his power clipped to the extent he would be attained in all but name. And probably formally attained if the temperament of King Joffrey could not be controlled.

Maester Coleman would be sent to the Eyrie along with the rest of Jon Arryn's Household. But it wasn’t just Lord Denys or the Arryns, many other heirs would also be sent away by all members of the court for a variety of reasons. By now the Falcon faction can feel the walls closing in around them, having lost the main pillar of their strength and their leader the Vale and Reach lords feel vulnerable and would prefer to not have the younger ones who are more easy to dupe and manipulate being around court during a time of increased fighting. Especially as that infighting can start happening on the battlefield. On the other hand the other two Factions send away their heirs both for protection but also to more easily marshal their strengths. Both the Lions and the Stags can feel the long awaited conflict over Harrenhal approaching, even with King Robert still alive both believed that he could be cowed into blessing the gains of the winning side now that Prince Jon was dead. And it was a prize for which both factions were indeed willing to shed blood, for the great prize of Harrenhal offered each faction not just its own strength and wealth but also so much more.

For the Stags it offered their Tully kin the opportunity to consolidate their hold over the Riverland's; Becoming the undisputed premier House in terms of men and wealth in the lands they oversaw as Prince's. In doing so they would be finally be able to actually command and control their vassals, something which had been a problem even at the best of times. This would make the Tully's go from being one of the lesser Great Houses to one of the stronger ones, for till now they had always struggled to truly harness the wealth and might of the Riverland's in away that would allow them to reach the true heights of power. As almost each war would see the Riverlord's divide and for Riverrun to spend a generation reuniting them. Furthermore with the Stormlands and the Riverland's truly united behind the Stags, the Baratheon's of Storms End could finally marshal the strength to not just check but also start actively fighting back against Lannister influence in the realm.

On the other hand for Harrenhal to become the seat of Prince Joffrey would also be a great victory for the Lions. Having one of the largest and richest seats of the Riverland's be the official seat of the Crown Prince would greatly dilute the power and authority House Tully held as the Prince's of the Riverland's. For the Lands they commanded would become closer in status to the Crownlands than say the Vale. This would in turn allow the Lions to hopefully break apart the little unity the Tully's had been able to manage to gather among the Riverlords and in doing so would not just bolster the power of the Crown but also greatly weaken the Stags. Another goal that the Queen Cersei, leader of the Lion Faction in court, held so dear would also be completed; The complete humiliation and defeat of Princess Catelyn Baratheon.

In the meanwhile Lord Denys begins investigating the death of Prince Jon. According to the accounts of his stewards this was done using the information provide by Lord Varys, Master of Whisperers. As Lord Denys investigates Prince Jon Arryn's activities before his death, he discovers that Prince Jon spent a great deal of time with Prince Stannis Baratheon in secret. A fact that was shocking due to the strong political disputes between he two men and former allies.

Prince Jon had also been visiting several of Robert's bastard children in the city in the guise of inspecting public works and alms programs according to Lord Varys. Grand Maester Garth also provides the new Hand with The Lineages and Histories of the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms, which Prince Jon had been reading.

Soon news came to Kings Landing that the Lannisters were upset on not receiving the office of Hand of the King. Whether they were truly upset or shocked with the news or just wanted to use this to wring out more concessions is unknown. But what is known is that the Lannisters had decided to increase the interest rate on the Royal debt they held. Thus as shown in the Royal records King Robert is forced to hold a Small Council meeting and attend for once, while being sober at that.

Here Lord Rickon informs the new Lord Hand that the Crown cannot afford the higher interest rate with its current finances, though with rising tax revenue from the realms abundant prosperity and decreasing expenditures from many great works such as the bridges being completed that year, they had a year to devise a solution. Lord Hand Denys tries to further cut expenditures and also to raise tax rates to avoid making concessions to the Lannisters, also hoping the higher revenue would be used to actually bring down the debt held by the Crown. Further by doing so Lord Hand Denys hoped to reduce the influence of the lions. But both of these actions are forbidden by the King and the Rest of the Small Council who thought any cut would only lead to more problems. The King worried that Lords from across the realm would come and ruin his time with their whining and protesting over every decision while the small council did not wish to raise taxes which would anger their supporters or cut spending which would reduce their own patronage networks. Indeed the only reason the Falcon faction that supported Lord Denys would allow him to contemplate increasing taxes or reducing spending was all the great works they received from the crown were already finished, or in case of the roads, payed for and due to the fact that they were confident Lord Denys would not increase taxes in a way which would affect them too much. But even with these caveats the proposal was unpopular.

Instead acting on the advice of the rest of the Small Council and the Royal Court, to appease the Lannisters the King gives them many offices, offices he takes from the Vale and Reach lords mostly, despite Lord Denys and the Grand Maester Garth's protests.

Unwilling to cooperate and be seen complicit with the destruction of the Falcon faction's influence and knowing there was not much he could truly do, for the King did not heed Lord Denys' advice like he did Prince Jon's, Lord Denys resigns his office in protest over the Kings actions.

This somewhat extreme reaction was also due to the fact he had received word from both Winterfell and the Eyrie. Both his cousin and foster brother had ruled out direct support; In particular refusing to lend more gold, they also refused to commit forces to bring the Lannisters and Baratheon's to heel should they come to conflict over Harrenhal, and even refused ravens to King Robert to argue for Lord Denys' case meaning that Lord Denys was just that, Lord Denys Arryn of Falcons Rush. He did not have the leverage and strength to force his enemies, the Princes of the Stormlands and the Westerlands, to back down. Lord Denys thus resigned so that he could leave in dignity rather than being kicked out a few months down the line, an outcome that was rapidly approaching in his mind as far as the records tell.

While doing so Lord Denys also sends messages to the Vale Lords and other members of the Falcons Faction who begin making preparations. After all they had endured years of bruising political fighting at this point and realized that despite their military strength they were losing the war in Court, now that their political equivalent of the Bloody Gate, Prince Jon Arryn, had died .

Despite not wanting to, they all knew in their hearts of Hearts that this day, the day where the Lion and Stag factions emerged triumphant in Court due to their Royal Blood would come and now they would prepare for the true "Fall of the Falcons" but the rest of Westeros knew this time as the "First Storm". But perhaps none of them could truly contemplate or realize just what lay in the future, perhaps if they knew what was truly to befall the realm they may have decided to fight harder.

Before his planned departure from King's Landing to return to Falcons Rush, Lord Denys visits another of Robert's bastard children, a girl named Barra, found by Lord Jacaerys men. Returning from this meeting he is ambushed by bandits. Many would later claim these were no ordinary bandits but Lannister men, a claim which even Lord Denys would allegedly believe, but none could prove this. Furthermore, Lord Denys had already resigned, so why would House Lannister attack him now?

Eight and ten men die from the ensuing melee, including two Arryn guards, four innocents and twelve bandits, and Lord Denys breaks his leg when his horse falls upon him. Grand Maester Garth treats Lord Denys and when King Robert visits his friend, he asks for his forgiveness for not listening to his advice and asks him to return to office as Hand of the King. King Robert had began realizing he truly had no one in the Red Keep he could trust, and that choosing to staff his personal offices based solely on how much men could drink, whor* and hunt had meant he had no measure of their true character or loyalty. And for all that he cared not for copper counting and the Game of Thrones he refused to be a powerless king. One whose subjects broke his peace with impunity, and thus he needed Lord Denys to be at his side.

Lord Denys would accept the office back. Within a sennight he be sitting on the Iron Throne and hearing petitions for he had to show a strong face. Meanwhile despite his promise to be more involved in the realms affairs King Robert is out on a hunt and staying at the Kingswood Palace. It was at this time that Lord Varys shared news from the Westerland, of the Lannisters releasing brigands and bandits from their cells and sending them to the Riverlands and also came ravens from the Riverland's, ravens stating that several villages near the border of the Westerlands have been ravaged by bandits, who Riverrun claimed were led by Ser Gregor Clegane.

Lord Denys realizing the increasingly precarious position he and the Realm was in and that the shadow war between the Baratheon-Lannisters and Baratheon-Tully's was entering a new phase, sends a party composed of Lord Beric Dondarrion, Thoros of Myr, and a number of knights, and members of the Goldcloaks. These men were to join the forces being raised by the Tullys to bring the bandits to justice for their crimes against the Riverlands.

Meanwhile the Lord Hand also sends ravens to the Tully's and Lannisters telling them the Crown would not look favorably at any large scale violence. This dispute over Harrenhal and slighted honor between the two families who had married into the Baratheon's would have to remain at the level of deniable raiding, a shadow war and a very short one at that, lest the Crown be forced to intervene. Along with threatening to call upon the forces of the North and the Vale, forces which he did not have the backing of in this endeavor; Lord Denys also threatens to give Harrenhal to either Garlan Gardner or Quentyn Martell, for if the threat needed to have a true impact Harrenhal needed to go to a great House, and marry them to a Lady of the Vale if open war occurs even if its in a limited scale.

Luckily this works and the Lions and Stags did not start a war, not yet at least. But the raiding of the Riverland's by "Bandits" continued for the purpose of the chaos was to send a message to the vassals of the Tully's that supporting their liege would have consequences, consequences the Tully's would not be able to shield them from.

While the trouts hunted the bandits and brought the situation under control, Lord Denys began further investigating Prince Jon's interest in Robert's bastard children. Lord Denys then allegedly discovers that Robert's three legitimate children are the product of incest between Queen Cersei and her brother, Ser Jaime. Of course many would and still do dispute the charges of incest, deeming them absurd rumors which were the product of the jealous brothers grasping at their nephews inheritance.

However while these allegations cannot be proven, the records we have indicate that Lord Denys sincerely believed them, and it is likely that in his mind he began realizing the reason why his uncle had died and why the Lannisters allegedly had tried to kill him with bandits despite not being Hand of the King any longer at that point.

Lord Denys would send news of the allegations with a messenger, a trusted Arryn man who had served Prince Jon, departing the next day for the Eyrie from where news was to be sent to Winterfell again by a messenger for this was too important and sensitive for a raven which may get lost or worse intercepted by the Lions. Meanwhile Lord Denys is said to have alerted his wife's family whose mainline discreetly but quickly began moving themselves and their children out of Kings Landing, and also began shifting their personal gold reserves and most importantly their ledgers and contracts away to secure locations. Similarly at least one son of each branch of House Velaryon of Kings landing found themselves on trade missions which required them to leave Kings Landing. This was mostly done thanks to the announcement of a trade fleet being sent to Qarth. Lord Edwyle Windstrider would also join on this mission and his wife would go to Windstrider Manse in White Harbor to be with his family in the meantime.

Knowing that his uncle had discussed the matter of the Kings Children with Prince Stannis, Lord Denys would also send a raven to him but according to the records created by his stewards he was very wary of Storms End, feeling Prince Stannis to be a craven who had fled and who had an indirect hand, if nothing else than by inaction, in the death of his uncle.

He would also alert Prince Renly to the situation and sends him away, tasked with bringing his household guard from Dragonstone to shore up their numbers in the Red keep though Prince Renly would not return to the Red Keep for events moved too fast for him to safely return, even if he intended to.

Lord Denys also begins preparing for a confrontation, waiting for the King to return before seizing control of the Lannisters and announcing their treachery to the realm

However before this can happen, the Queen Cersei had allegedly orchestrated King Robert's assassination while the King hunted boars. According to the records of the Baratheon family the Queen had many caged wild animals released on the day that King Robert went hunting, while also having her cousin spike his wine. Further she is alleged to have Lannister men at arms dressed as bandits and sent into the forest if the boars failed. This was allegedly done as Lord Denys' actions had not gone unnoticed, and the Queen realized she had no time left and had to act. Many further allege that Lord Denys' actions were brought to the Queens notice by Lord Baelish and this was the reason he was so favored by the Lannisters.

As King Robert was brought back to the Red Keep, he lays on his deathbed. Lord Denys would dismiss many Vale Lords, heirs and head of houses mostly and ordered them to go back to the Vale immediately lest they become Lannister Hostages. Lord Denys also sends away his remaining children ,his daughters Alyssa and Shaera who had accompanied him to the Red Keep, with Velaryon and Arryn men who were to escort them to Falcons Rush. He had tried sending away his wife as well but Lady Daenaera refused to leave without her husband.

Ravens would also be sent from the Black Keep to the Eyrie, Winterfell, Highgarden, the Hightower, the Oldtown Citadel, Riverrun and Sunspear with the allegations against the Queens children, written in Lord Denys' hand while another would be sent by messenger to the High Septon. It would have been a great risk to use ravens for the Lannister would have undoubtedly been keeping track of all the Ravenry' and not just the one in the Red Keep but Lord Denys' was running out of options and most importantly time. He felt that only by alerting all the Princes and Great Houses, as well as the Citadel and Faith, could House Lannister's alleged treachery be stopped. It may have even worked if the rest of the Realm actually bothered to act on the ravens sent to them in the way Lord Denys expected.

It was then that Lord Denys ,according to the accounts of Maester Wendel, was approached by Lord Peytr Baelish who promised Lord Denys the support of the City Watch of King's Landing in order to make Stannis Baratheon, his goodbrother, King; For it seemed that Prince Stannis had confided the truth about the Kings children to his goodbrother. Realising that the advantage and shield of secrecy was over, but also that that the danger was still there and only growing; Lord Denys could only survive by confronting and defeating the Lannister then and there. He needed more men and with the Gold cloaks on his side he would have the strength to overpower the Lannister garrison.

After confirming his children and the important lords of the Vale had left, and the King was indeed about to die any day now Lord Denys summons Queen Cersei to the Throne Room early morning the next day and confronts her while sitting on the Iron Throne.

The following is from the papers of Maester Wendel who recreated the meeting according to the whisper networks of Kings Landing. These supposedly reported the recollections of Lord Denys which he shared when he was a hostage. But the accuracy of the following account is still very much in dispute and the following dialogues are one of the most controversial, yet also heavily cited and used, parts of Maester Wendel's work.

Lord Denys : I know the truth Uncle Jon and Robert died for.

Queen Cersei : Do you, Lord Arryn? Is that why you called us here, to pose me riddles?

Lord Denys : There are no riddles, but if you are angry I can call your brother to comfort you, or would you prefer me calling him your lover?

Queen Cersei : The Targaryens wed brothers and sisters for three hundred years to keep bloodlines pure. Jaime and I are more than brother and sister. We shared a womb. We came into this world together, we belong together.

Lord Denys : The difference is that you are Lannisters and not Targaryens, what you did was an affront to the Gods, even without the murder and cuckolding of the King.

Queen Cersei: The Gods forbade incest for the dragons as well, but they were able to practice it anyway for they were strong. You will find House Lannister is equally strong. Tell me Lord Denys do you love your children?

Lord Denys: With all my heart.

Queen Cersei: No more than I love mine.

Lord Denys : And they're all Jaime's?

Queen Cersei: Thank the gods. In the rare event when Robert finished with his whor*s for long enough to stumble drunkenly into my bed, I finished him off in other ways. In the morning, he doesn't remember. Even when left his whor*s and came directly to me to he claim his rights I would find a way to prevent it, sometimes by moon tea, other times using my hand and mouth. Ten thousand of his children perished in my palm. Whilst he snored, I would lick his sons off my face and fingers one by one, all those pale sticky Princes. He may have shouted "I am King", "I am Your Husband" and claimed his rights, the Brute had enough strength for that, but in the darkness while the foolish brute slept I wouldeat and poisonhisheirs.

Lord Denys: You always hated him.

Queen Cersei : Hated him? I worshiped him. Every girl in the Seven Kingdoms dreamed of him, the handsome man, the warrior reborn who had triumphed even the Silver Prince Rhaegar and thrown down the Greatest Dynasty Westeros had ever seen. But he was mine by oath and I was delighted by the fact.

And when I finally saw him on our wedding day in the Sept of Baelor, lean, fierce and black-bearded, it was the happiest day of my life. I was finally Queen as was my right and calling, as I had been promised all my life. And through my womb I would help found a new dynasty, a dynasty that would last a thousand years and would reach greater heights than the Targaryens could ever imagine. And that night he crawled on top of me, stinking of wine, with the proud warrior replaced by a drunk brute.

I was willing but he still forced me, I wished to lay with him in a manner that pleased him but he still found in necessary to hurt me. And then came the true wound, he whispered in my ear "Lyanna"… the wolf bitch was a corpse, she was not even his betroth and had rejected his hand a hundred times over and yet he still dreamt of her.

I was alive, the most beautiful woman in the land and I thought he loved her more than me. How that hurt. Only it was worse than that, as I learned within not even a year. Robert did not love any woman, he did not know how to love one. He could only lust after them, he could only see them as his whor*s and wenches. I thought Lyanna stupid as the rest of the savages on my wedding day when I saw Robert, wondered how she could have turned him down rather than rip off his clothes and take him then and their as I was tempted to do. The jape was the barbarian from the North was more clear eyed than me, by not taken by the Brutes charm and body like I was.

You claim to be his friend and to know him, so you should know he was no good man, he hurts me as he pleased, treated me and all around him with contempt including his 'beloved' foster father and cared not for his children. He was a plague on the realm who is not cursed as another Aegon the Unworthy only due to the luck he drew with his Hand and we are all better off being rid of him

Lord Denys : Sleeping with a Kingsguard, Incest, Murder, Cuckolding the King, Kingslaying and Kinslaying are taboos each greater than the last and you have violated all of them with pleasure. Admit to your crimes to the Realm and your children will be spared. Admit to your crimes to the Realm and you will not have to bear the wrath of House Baratheon and the Crown

Queen Cersei : And what about my wrath, Lord Arryn? You should have taken the Crown yourself, killed me, my other half and our children as we slept and proclaimed yourself King. Gods knows half the realm would support it so long as you promised not to disturb them as they sit in their gardens, snow and mountains pretending the rest of the realm is not but ocean. For Stannis and his ilk are just as likely to kill you for being an Arryn as they are to thank you for delivering them the Iron Throne. As for Renly, he is too busy exploring Loras Gardner's ass to bother with realm.

When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground. Now you are a dead man walking.

Lord Denys: Really? I don’t think so. I will give you one last chance. For your crimes this mercy is much more than you deserve

Queen Cersei: How dare you? You were not even the second son of House Arryn, merely a cousin, nor are you the greatest Lord of the Riverlands, not that would mean much. How can you have the audacity to look down on me, the Queen and the Daughter of Tywin Lannister and Casterly Rock? How can you delude yourself and ever hope to stop me and House Lannister, the Greatest of the Great Houses?

Lord Denys: I don’t need to stop you of my own strength, the Great Houses will do it for me once they know of your treachery. As it is my patience runs thin. May the Seven have mercy on you as you rot in the deepest of the Seven Hells. Guards, call in the Gold Cloaks.

As the Goldcloaks pour in, the accounts state that triumphant look on Lord Denys' face would turn to horror as Lord Peytr Baelish and then Lord Commander of the Gold Cloaks Lord Janos Slynt bowed to the Queen instead of arresting her as planned. Soon the Queens men also entered the throne room. On the Queens command the men slaughtered the Arryn guards and captured Lord Denys as a traitor. Further resistance in the Red Keep would be quickly suppressed, Lord Denys' men would mostly be killed whenever found by the goldcloaks but a few of his stewards who were alerted by the commotion would be able to escape using the secret tunnels of the Keep and make it out to the City and from there to Falcons Rush. In this they would be helped by the servants in the pay of the Velaryon's as well as merchants with whom House Arryn of Falcons Rush had made connections. Many of the happenings of the Royal Court during Lord Denys' time as Hand of the King comes from the accounts of these stewards which were preserved in the Royal Citadel archives.

The next day after the Red Keep had been secured the bells of all the Septs toll announcing the death of King Robert. Also all the stewards of the Red Keep and many maesters of the Royal Citadel had been pressed into service the previous day. And as such that morning ravens fly to all the Houses of the Seven Kingdoms, announcing the death of King Robert, the Ascension of King Joffrey, First of his name and the treason committed by Lord Denys in trying to usurp the throne.

With this the Great Storm War began.

Chapter 23: The Great Storm War

Chapter Text

The Great Storm War was one of the most important of the Great Westerosi Civil Wars, as impactful as the Dance of the Dragons and the First Blackfyre Rebellion. Many stories and songs would come from the war and its influence would last for generations. It turned not just nobles but entire people against one another, for example this war would see the creation of the now ancient hatred between the Westermen and Riverlanders.

The War as everyone knows, would mark a new turning point in Westerosi history, and those who lived in the Era that came before it could scarcely recognize the Era after it and its successor conflicts. But we are getting ahead of ourselves.

While the First Storm played a key role in causing the war, the fighting did not immediately start. Though many historians contend that the war began after the arrest of Lord Denys Arryn, at least in the hearts and mind of the nobility. As news spread of the death of King Robert, the supposed Arryn coup, and the accession of King Joffrey, the realm held its breath. All knew that Winterfell and the Eyrie would not let Lord Denys be imprisoned without some retaliation. Also many in the court believed that some sort of war between the Baratheon-Lannisters and Baratheon-Tully's over who would inherit harrenhal was coming especially now that King Robert was dead, In fact the infighting between the two branches of House Baratheon was known by even the smallest of smallfolk.

The first crisis the Crown needed to deal with was the arrest of Lord Denys Arryn. There was an immediate uproar in the Eyrie and Winterfell, with both sending ravens to the Crown to denounce the charges against Lord Denys and promising action should he and his wife not be released unharmed. Even Westerland lords who believed that Lord Denys may indeed have possibly launched a coup were wary of him being imprisoned. First because it weakened the Crown by creating a dispute with the two kingdoms which could not be taken by land and who the Lannisters would never be able to convince of Lord Denys' guilt. But more importantly by imprisoning him Lord Denys' fate was now in the hands of King Joffrey, who had just reached his majority. Many prayed that he had indeed matured with age, hoped that he had become less green since the Ball of Madness for if Lord Denys Arryn died on his orders, whether rightfully as a traitor or not, the North and the Vale would surely march on Kings Landing, and if House Gardner marched with them then the Crown would not be able to muster the ships and men to stop them.

However the fact that Denys Arryn had launched a coup was heavily in doubt, with most lord rubbishing the allegations even if they did not do so openly in court. First and foremost was that this was a very serious allegation which had been made without proof, at least proof that the Lords present in court could verify. No one knew what was actually said in the Throne Room that morning, not even through the goldcloaks who only entered after the conversation between the Queen and Hand was over, and all the Arryn guards had been slaughtered. All anyone knew for sure was that there was a confrontation and the Lord Hand was arrested.

Thus many found the charges hard to believe, for skilled at the Game of Thrones they may be House Arryn had maintained their honour and all the realm knew of the deep friendships between House Arryn and King Robert Baratheon, a friendship like that between Ned Stark and King Robert had taken on the status of song and myth as much as fact. Thus many found it difficult to believe the Arryn's would try an seize King Roberts crown and attempt to harm his children.

Word also slowly started coming through that the Great Houses had received ravens from Lord Denys before his capture alleging Lannister treason, in particular treason committed by the Queen, though what kind no two rumors could agree upon, but a plot to kill the king being the most popular for few believed that a mere boar could kill King Robert, who was as skilled at hunting as he was bad at administering the realm.

As such across the realm the Nobility were very suspicious of the claims of the Lannisters, suspicious enough that many wondered out loud in the Noble courts if Ser Jamie had been a Kingslayer twice over. Soon word spread even to the smallfolk taverns showing the level of disbelief to the official proclamations of the Crown.

In this time Lord Denys was kept in secured guest rooms. Originally the Queen wanted him executed or at the very least thrown in the black cells but was prevented in doing so by her brother Prince Tyrion. When he found out about the former Hands arrest he took charge of the safety and well being of Lord Denys and Lady Daenaera. Assigning them proper apartments to spend their arrest in. Prince Tyrion reminded his sister that they could not afford to have the Stark-Arryn-Gardner alliance, or even the Stark-Arryn Alliance against them and hope to win. Not when their grip on the Iron Throne was weak and they had many enemies who were itching to see them fall.

Prince Tyrion's was able to overrule his sister as while she was Queen, Prince Tyrion had been deemed the representative of his father Prince Tywin, with his role being to ensure that a repeat of the Ball of Madness did not occur. In this he was aided by the Westerland Lords. The Queen, who had never accepted responsibility for the disaster that was the Ball of Madness and hated the power her brother had over her. This necessitated Prince Tyrion to develop his own power base, more prominently he hired the sell sword Bronn, whose job was to protect Prince Tyrion from his many enemies most importantly his sister.

While the courts of Winterfell and Eyrie debated what to do and sent more ravens demanding Lord Denys' release the Lions were very active. The Lannisters quickly purged the offices of the realm of Stag and Falcon factions lords using the permission of King Joffrey, an action which allowed them to quickly take control but also destroyed the balance of power that maintained the peace and the loyalty of the Crowns vassals during King Robert's reign, signalling to the realm that the lions expected war.

After the small and plain funeral of King Robert and the end of the insultingly short mourning period the coronation for King Joffrey was held to secure his legitimacy in the eyes of the gods.

While the Lannisters secured the capital and coronated King Joffrey his grandfather Prince Tywin Lannister, who had been declared the new Hand of the King, sent back ravens appointing his son Ser Jamie as Acting Lord Protector and his son Prince Tyrion as Acting Hand of the King. Prince Tywin also began raising a Westerland Host to help secure King Joffrey's throne for he realised that force would be needed.

Hearing about this from their spies and alert due to Westerland raiding the Riverlords began preparing their lands, securing harvest, distributing weapons and raising small hosts and training them. At the same time a chunk of the Royal Fleet which remained loyal to Prince Stannis would sail away under the command of Lord Davos Seaworth. It would make anchor at Tarth. This would shock the Crown who would declare all the captains and Davos Seaworth as traitors. A raven would be sent to Storms End demanding they come to Kings Landing and answer for their actions but it would be met by silence.

Soon the Royal Court would hear that Prince Stannis had began raising his own host and the records we do have agree that the Baratheon's of Storms End began preparations for raising their armies even before the formal announcement of the death of the King. Soon all the Houses across the Realm would receive Ravens which a proclamation which would change the course of history.

In said proclamation Prince Stannis would denounce King Joffrey as a bastard born of incest between the Queen Cersei and her brother Ser Jamie Lannister of the Kingsguard. Proclaiming himself the rightful heir to King Robert and thus declaring himself King Stannis. Most Stormlords would indeed flock to King Stannis' banner but whether it was because they believed him, felt it was their duty whether he was right or wrong, or because they wanted the Lannister's gone even if King Joffrey was trueborn is unknown, probably it was a mix of all three.

This declaration would be the immediate cause of the Great Storm War and would herald the beginning of the actual fighting.

The first phase of the war, known as the Cousins War or the War of the Stags, began with the Lannister invasion of the Riverland's.

Lord Kevan Lannister descends on the Riverlands with fifteen thousand men. Attacking from the west, Lord Kevan is easily able to cross the border near the Golden Tooth, facing no open battle but rather significant harassment from Riverlanders using bandit tactics, disrupting supply lines and setting camps and baggage trains on fire at night before melting away into the land. He makes his way to Riverrun where the Tullys have quickly prepared for siege, their granaries both of Riverrun village and the Keep filled, their people secure behind walls and holdfasts and their famed deep and wide moats flooded meaning the Lannister Host in order to take the Keep would need to mount two island sieges without ships. Or has Ser Harys Swift would tell his goodson "With the moats flooded and no Host to meet in open battle ... this is a catastrophe!"

In the meanwhile across Riverland's its lord prepare hosts, most prominently the Tully-Mallister-Blackwood Host at Raventree Hall. Military scholars and the very few accounts we have agree that the trouts intended to use the Keep of Riverrun, which had not fallen to siege in its entire millennia long history as an anvil with their host providing the hammer to smash the Lannister forces and keep them occupied in the Riverland's as their Kin were able to raise their own hosts and take Kings landing, thus hopefully finding a quick end to the war.

While crossing the Mummer's Ford, Lord Beric Dondarrion's force of around a hundred men, sent to bring bandits led by Ser Gregor Clegane to justice, is ambushed by Ser Clegane. Lord Dondarrion's force is nearly wiped out; Lord Lothar Mallery and Ser Gladden Wylde and their knights are all killed, as are most of the Goldcloaks set by the Lord Hand. Lord Beric and Ser Raymun Darry are wounded but are able to escape.

Lord Beric continues to lead the remaining men against the Lannisters, who are soon joined by many riverlanders, harassing Prince Tywin’s supply lines. When they learn King Joffrey has declared them outlaws, Dondarrion's band forms the core of the outlaw organization called the brotherhood without banners, its aim to protect the smallfolk and drive the Lannisters out. It would soon become a great thorn for the Lannisters, and despite their best attempts it would continue to grow throughout the Cousins war, their numbers increasing as they are joined by defeated soldiers from other battles, deserters, and refugees.

While the Lannister Host under Lord Kevan besieges Riverrun another Westerland Host enters the battle.

Prince Tywin is at the time marching through the lower Riverland's to the point where the Gold Road entered the Crownlands, setting the countryside on fire and launching savage raiding parties. Prince Tywins aims were twofold, first was making way for Kings Landing to defend the city and reinforce the Crown from a Stormland Invasion; Second was to sow fear and chaos in the Riverlands and prevent them from mustering a united response as Lords in the Lower Riverlands would feel compelled to keep their troops in their own lands.

Meanwhile Lord Kevan decides to take the battle to the Tully's army, abandoning the siege at Riverrun he would make for Raventree Hall in order to smash the Riverland host being formed there before it becomes a threat. And while he would take a huge risk in leaving the Keeps of the Western Riverlands untaken the Lannisters were pressed for time. The Riverlords would not yield their castles and to take them by force would cost time, time they did not have.

Their aim was to prevent a two front attack on Kings landing first and foremost, and each day besieging the formidable castles of the Riverland's, Castles which were designed to survive war and long sieges even more than others, were days which the Tully's could use to raise hosts in other parts of the Riverland's and threaten the city of Kings Landing even if Riverrun remained under siege. They were also pressed for time as Lord Kevan needed to secure the Riverland's quickly to then aid his brother against the Stormland Host forming.

Furthermore this army at Raventree hall had the risk of becoming the core of a united Riverland Host. A Riverland host which could be secure in knowing the North and Vale had no quarrel with them, and that the Iron Born were still broken from the Greyjoy rebellion could, for the first time in a very long time, march outside its own borders.

As such at the battle of the Raventree Hall is fought as the Lannisters attack the Host there seeking to smash it and leave the Riverland's without defenders. Also hopefully gaining hostages which could be used to secure peace.

It is a victory for the Lannisters in a sense that they lost lesser amounts of men, but the Tully-Mallister-Blackwood Host still stands, having repelled the Lannisters whose host only had surprise on their side with each sides equally matched in terms of numbers. Retreating without being chased, Lord Kevan realized the riverlords would not meet them in open battle until they had a decisive advantage when the Tully host refused to march. Thus Lord Kevan makes his way for the Inn at the crossroads, while sending three raiding parties under Ser Amory Lorch, Vargo Hoat and Lord Marband to set the Riverlands afire from the Blackwater rush to the Red Fork. This is done to force the River Lords to divide forces to defend their lands and also to force the Host to march, where hopefully on the field of open battle they could be defeated quickly knocking the Riverland's out of the war.

The Burning of the Riverland's was infamous for its brutality and formed one of the core disputes of the now ancient hatred between the Westerlands and the Riverland's.

In the meantime maesters across the Riverland's begin to receive ravens from their more southern counterparts telling the tales of a Stormland Army ,led by Prince Steffon Baratheon and Lord Brynden Tully the Blackfish, which had entered the southern Riverland from the western crownlands and was routing the Lannisters, slaughtering the raiding party of Amory Lorch and those sent by Prince Tywin and making its way for the Inn of the Crossroads. The Tully Army would also begin quickly marching south when receiving word of reinforcements. The Baratheon-Tully's thus began seeking to smash Kevin Lannisters Host at the Inns of the Crossroad and then to march south to Kings Landing.

By this time the Small council, which had new faces barring the Grand Maester and Master of Whisperers after the coronation King Joffrey, has their hands full dealing with the growing war and its consequences. Currently the entire realm save the Westerlands is either in open rebellion or in passive rebellion by staying neutral. The Crown was facing a disruption of trade and of tax collection, and in the Royal Court itself there was a strong fear that the Targaryens would use this chaos to attack Westeros.

Their troubles were compounded by word that came from the west and indeed from the markets and merchants of Kings Landing. River barges carrying food from the southern Riverland's and northern Reach, some of the main sources of food for the city had been prevented from reaching Kings Landing by the garrison at Falcons Rush which had barred the river trade paths. This action had been undertaken as retaliation for Lord Denys' arrest and the castellan of Falcons Rush, Ser Willas Arryn a very distant cousin of Lord Denys, sent ravens demanding his release. While the King had demanded action the Small council was unable to agree on a course, for to send men would leave the city vulnerable especially as they knew Prince Stannis is gathering a Host at Storms End. The Falcon Rush Keep itself was new and built to withstand a long siege, meaning to besiege it properly the Host led by Prince Tywin would need to be either split in half or in order to secure quick victory diverted entirely, either option was unacceptable.

This inaction meant that there would soon be, if not famine then at the very least a severe shortage of food for most of the northern and southern overland routes were either closed by decree or by bandits and war; And the Crownland's farmers and the Garden Road cart merchants of the Reach could not sustain the city by themselves.

The King and Small Council are also informed by Lord Varys of the letters sent by Lord Denys to the Great Houses before his capture, in which he collaborated Prince Stannis' account. Realizing that there was a possibility that the Starks and Arryns may indeed not remain neutral, if they did not believe her children were of Roberts blood, Queen Cersei Lannister's greatest priority became neutralizing the rumors about her children's heritage ordering the cutting out of the tongue of any questioning her children's heritage.

At this point her brother Prince Tyrion began working on preventing the Stark-Arryn alliance from joining the fighting and began working on a way to get Lord Denys to denounce his previous position for his word was what gave King Stannis' claim credibility.

To prevent an increased shortage of food, for rising prices was already creating chaos, and appease the Starks and Arryns Prince Tyrion, who had been deemed the acting Hand of the King until the arrival of his father, had negotiated a deal with Lord Denys. If Lord Denys would confess to being tricked by Prince Stannis, order his men to allow food to flow again and declare King Joffrey the true heir of King Robert, he and his wife will be allowed to return home. His wife's family the Velaryon's of Kings Landing serving as hostages. The Queen was very angry with the deal according to sources, but the Crown truly did not have much of a hand, they could not take Falcons Rush while the Stormland host possibly marched for the capital. Similarly killing Lord Denys would not only lend a credence to his words but also mean the Lannisters would need to ,at the very least, fight off the armies of the North and Vale who would march in vengence. Or worse storm and hold Moat Cailin and the Bloody Gate, a task at which countless armies had failed for centuries, in order to force the Starks and Arryns to parley.

Lord Denys accepts the deal knowing it would be the best he would get and on the steps of the Great Sept of Baelor, publicly makes his false confession. However, instead of pardoning Lord Denys and letting him return home as promised King Joffrey orders that he be kept confined in the Red Keep until the Arryns and Starks showed their fealty and fought to defend his right to the Iron Throne, making Lord Denys and his wife hostages once again. By not murdering Lord Denys King Joffrey had shown he had indeed matured with age, unfortunately said age did nothing to increase his wisdom, for this threat would if anything make it harder for Winterfell and the Eyrie to marshal their forces. After all neither Prince wanted to be seen as bowing to the boy King of dubious birth at the first instance of a threat.

Also, of course this meant that the food situation did not improve and the city got more restless.

The Grand Maesters records show that small council was very worried that King Stannis Baratheon would capture King's Landing before the Lannisters army led by Prince Tywin could arrive to defend it. Similarly while Prince Tywin had faced no open battle during his march through the Riverland's the Lords of the Lower Riverlands still harassed his forces with bandit tactics slowing his host down, requiring them to march only in daylight, as at night they would face rapid raids on their grain and supply trains. This meant they needed to make camp even before night fell to defend themselves from said raids.

The Lannisters were quickly running out of time, for word arrived that a Large Host of 30,000 men was marching up the Storm Road, heading for the city. This large host, as large as both Lannister Hosts combined was the result of the patience of Prince Stannis who sacrificed an earlier march on the city to both reinforce the Riverland's and Tully's and to ensure the host he would end up leading would be composed of more and better supplied men.

Thus the next great battle of the war was the Battle of King Landing. In the run up to the battle, Queen Cersei had arranged for the production of vast amounts of wildfire, the City Watch of King's Landing is tripled in size, sellswords are hired, and a Host is gathered from crownland lords such as Rosby and Stokeworth, and hundreds of scorpions, spitfires, and catapults are constructed and placed on the walls. Parties are sent to harass King Stannis's flanks and kill his scouts in the Kingswood but these fail to slow him down. King Stannis's vanguard arrives at the city gates early, and archers are dispatched to exchange arrows with his forces. The vanguard is said to have five thousand men, flying the banners of Houses Dondarrion, Estermont and Selmy, under the command of Ser Guyard Morrigen. Their purpose was to secure ground and prepare for the coming battle.

The battle opens when Stannis's admiral, Lord Davos Seaworth, leads Stannis' fleet toward the city to engage King Joffrey's ships. Confident despite his inferior numbers, Lord Davos knew that the fleet of King's Landing while larger was also filled with the less skilled captains. The fleet is organized into 5 battle arches composed of twenty ships each. The first three lines are made up of war galleys belonging to the Royal Navy which remained loyal to Stannis. Behind them sails the smaller Estermont, Tarth and sell sail contingents, who are to land troops to attack the city walls from the north side, not to take it for they did not have the numbers to do so, but to force a large contingent of men to remain on the north side dividing the defenders.

The naval battle is cautious but steady. Kings Landing is after all a hard city to take by sea but the Storm fleet does not need to take the city on its own in order to contribute to victory. Soon the Storm Fleet would begin winning the naval battle pushing the royal fleet back and in the meantime are also able to land men at the north side. At this point King Joffrey would makes a fateful decision.

The Storms End Fleet would suffer a massive wound when ships filled with Wildfyre are set alight on the orders of the King. But so would the Royal Fleet, indeed by number of ships the Royal Fleet would lose 2 to Wildfyre for every on the Storms End fleet did for the Storms End Fleet could and did escape deep into the bay while much of the Royal Fleet got trapped in the smaller space. Further due to the ships being set on fire being so close to shore ,due to the Storm Fleets earlier victories in the battle, the northern piers of King Landing and its fishing and merchant fleets soon burned, men abandoned ships they had served in all their lives and fled to shore, many burning and dying in such an effort.

Even with the merchant and fishing fleets being concentrated more on the southern bank this was a huge blow to the city and a huge disaster for its merchant class. In this one order King Joffrey had lost the support of the traders and guilds of his city.

While the naval battle next to the city is raging, the city itself is defended by some six thousand seven hundred gold cloaks, leavened with eight hundred mercenaries and three thousand three hundred knights, squires, and men-at-arms, some from the court, but mostly the surrounding Crownlands. As acting Lord Protector and acting Hand of the King, command of the defense is taken by the two elder sons of Tywin Lannister Ser Jamie and Prince Tyrion respectively.

At the start of the battle, some small skirmishes arise within the city when some drunkards in Flea Bottom smash doors and climb into houses. Lord Jacelyn Bywater, who had been made the new commander of the City watch by Prince Tyrion, sends his gold cloaks to deal with them. When rich merchants and such gather in the square before the Red Keep, asking for refuge in the castle, Queen Regent Cersei Lannister commands the gates be kept close, an action which did not endure them to the guilds any further. Though it is reported many such rich merchants were indeed able to make their way into the Black Keep by bribing the city guard.

The gates of the Royal Citadel are also barred by the Royal Citadel Conclave and even the Velaryon's begin preparing, hiding in their Fort-Manses and high walled compounds which had "garden ponds" acting as moats.

In the meantime there is also a run at the markets to stock up on food. This soon causes the price of food to rise to ever higher heights, starting small food riots as the smallfolk protest going hungry, for what coin would earlier feed a family for the day is now barely enough even for a single meal. These are dealt with in an extremely brutally fashion by King Joffrey's men which quickly turn the people against the Crown.

Ser Jamie and Prince Tyrion tasks several groups of mounted men-at-arms, along with what few knights the city has, to harry Stannis's forces as they come into view. Under the command of Sandor Clegane and Ser Balon Swann of the Kingsguard, they manage to help slow them, but as the forces move out of the densest part of the forest and into open fields, and battle truly starts, they suffer grievous casualties.

Two days after the start of the initial battle the City has settled in for a siege, with the Lannister putting their efforts to holding out until Prince Tywin arrived and the Baratheon's quickly building siege weapons in order to take the city before Prince Tywin arrives. A sennight later, at morning Prince Tyrion and King Joffrey look on from the top of the Dragon tower of the Black Keep. A small attempt to take the southern docks the previous night meant that smoke continues to rise from the wrecked ships of the fleet in the bay burned through the last of their timbers. Though compared to the smoke of the first day, when Wildfyre was used the amount of smoke was much less and would not have been visible had they not been using Myrish Far Sight glass. Soon Prince Tyrion learns of King Stannis' men had somehow secured the land around Stag Gate, for supporters of King Stannis inside the city had attacked and weakened the guard enough that the Baratheon forces were able to achieve a breakthrough. Now the messenger states that the Stags are preparing to ram it, and as of his dispatch are able to do so almost unencumbered for the Lannister forces are barely being able to prevent the gates from being opened completely as it is.

The King is sent back to the Red Keep while Prince Tyrion departs for the gate with fresh men. He soon arrives and find that his brother Ser Jamie who had also come with reinforcements has been wounded, the Kingsguard had lost half his men in order to try and defend the gate which had almost been opened. And while he had routed the supporters of King Stannis inside the city the Kingslayer hadn't been able to dislodge the forces outside the Gate. Hearing the wood crack under the ram and seeing the tide of battle change as the men at the top of the gate were increasingly overwhelmed by attackers climbing over the wall Prince Tyrion orders a retreat to the Red Keep. Messengers are dispatched and Lannister forces across the south fall back across the river.

This was a wise move for the forces under King Stannis do indeed break through the gate and enter the city, not just from the Stag gate but another one as well, one which was also attacked from within. The forces of Storms End quickly begin making their way toward the Black keep, the Principal military structure in southern King Landing. At this point the King Maekar, King Robert and Prince Jon Arryn Bridges have also been closed and barred with the Lannister forces having abandoned the south and having retreated across the river.

The Black Keep would hold out in Lannister Hands though for it was not an easy castle to take. Soon the southern part of Kings Landing to would devolve into a slaughter ground, its narrow streets perfect choke points for ambushes, mostly from the men who were unable to retreat, though gangs and other such folk would also attack soldiers of each side, particularly those who strayed too far. However the Baratheon forces would restore order soon enough.

King Stannis would send word demanding the Velaryon's yield to him but they do not do so. Lord Jacaerys then treats with King Stannis outside his manse, declaring his neutrality. While King Stannis had the men to take their manses he does not do so, realizing he would need each man for the battle to come.

The tide of fortune for the Crown shifts soon when the Army led by Prince Tywin had finally reached the city. Their approach would be noted before hand by scouts allowing King Stannis' men on the North Side to retreat on to the ships, though some of the same ships would be caught by the Royal fleet and the men onboard would die. Soon the northern gates would be opened and the Lannister forces would secure the Red Keep and Northern Kings Landing.

As such a standoff is created between the forces of King Stannis and King Joffrey in the city. As the sun begins to set the last of the fighting comes to a close but both sides get no rest, for both are preparing for the battle to come.

However after two tense days as the Lannisters prepared for their offensive, around midday King Stannis orders his men out of the city with haste, in effect ruining his victory. The Lions celebrate watching their opponent flee the city but soon after they take back the south side they receive news which chills their spines and makes their victory taste like ash.

The forces of King Stannis had found Wildfyre, not fresh but aged, beneath the Mothers Sept, Wildfyre which according to the pyromancers had been around since the days of King Aerys the Mad based on its age. This meant the Mothers Sept cache alone had potent enough Wildfyre to burn the whole city is distributed properly. And in the day since the discovery more Wildfyre had been found by the Stags.

As the Crown secures the city it realizes that it is living in a death trap. During this it was also revealed to the Royal Court that Ser Jamie knew about the Wildfyre caches but let them be for he believed it would degrade, not realizing like wine Wildfyre only grows more potent. According to court tales when Prince Tywin found out that his heir had known about the Wildfyre, and worse that Ser Jamie had not told the realm that this was the reason of breaking his oaths, he said nothing at first. Rather he slapped Ser Jamie, and for the first time in a long time the facade of Prince Tywin Lannister cracks and he actually raised his voice. Shouting, not too loudly in another man but for the soft spoken Prince Tywin it might as well have been at the top of his lungs, about Legacy, True duty, wisdom, Wasted gold on education, Pride, Misplaced notions of honor, Moment of glory for our house and other half recorded sentences. Only stopping when his granddaughter Princess Myrcella and grandson Prince Tommen intervened, ignoring all proprietary for they were his superiors by the law of the land, the Prince and Princess of Royal Blood threw themselves at Prince Tywin's feet to beg for mercy for their uncle for no one in court was brave enough to stand up against Prince Tywin when he displayed such anger, not even his own son Ser Jamie who was silent and took the punishment without comment.

Price Tywin would leave but with one comment, one which would haunt Ser Jamie until his death "I shed a tear when I accepted you would not be my heir, a small one but a tear nonetheless. I thought I had failed you then, just as I thought I had failed your mother earlier when I had to send you to the Mad Kings court, a hostage for the rest of your life. Now I know the tear was wasted, you do not deserve Casterly Rock."

Despite this proclamation Prince Hand Tywin would still leave the planning of the war to his eldest son Ser Jamie, and of course the small council, while he throws himself into removing the Wildfyre from the city as soon as possible.

Soon news spreads of the Wildfyre among the nobles and through their servants to the Smallfolk, who also hear about it from those living in the Southern side at first and then from the guards who are soon posted across the city as Prince Tywin's men find and secure all the Wildfyre caches from the time of King Aerys II . This revelation along with the high price and thus to many of the poorest the lack of food; Along with the harsh measures imposed by King Joffrey would have dire consequences.

About a sennight after the battle is over and the Stormland forces have retreated a small tournament or rather a melee competition with a few rounds of jousting was held in King Aegon's Arena to celebrate the Crowns victory. By this time the people were already incensed with King Joffrey's brand of justice. Further the Smallfolk of the city, all but the richest of whom had been forced to cut their diets due to costs ,even if unlike the poorest many were not actively starving, were also angry about the Crowns inability of bringing down the price of food. But at the start of that day all the Smallfolk were looking forward to the competition and not because they were celebrating the Lannister victory.

Rather they were looking forward to the celebration and the gifts the Crown would give them. For under the Reign of King Robert who was known as Robert the Merry to the people of Kings Landing, all tournaments and melee competitions saw the handing out of free food and other gifts. And this food was not just basic bread given out as alms to the poor by the Sept's each day as it had been under the Targaryen Kings. Though undoubtedly the bakery's under the crowns patronage would distribute a lot of bread particularly in slums like flee bottom, but this would be both bread used for alms and better quality bread loaves, the kinds merchants bought, given out as part of celebration.

But more importantly for the Smallfolk under King Robert, around the King Aegon Arena and the grander Sept's, in the name of the King deep trenchers of bread were given out with meat soup, one could also get cheese wedges, as big as a young child's head. Some Sept's would in the name of King Robert the Merry give out sausages, both cooked and if you were lucky uncooked, which could be kept for later. Though for the best beef sausages the smallfolk knew one had to go to the Godswoods for the Green Men always gave out thick northern sausages and they were always a treat. Especially the ones which had been spiced with Neck chili powder and were well demanded by the smallfolk no matter how much some of the more passionate and overly devout septons denounced the heretical meat of the sacrilegious tree gods of the North.

In the septs dedicated to the Mother and the Maiden those with young children could get, along with cuts of many types of meat, fresh eggs and milk, but one had to be early for it always ran out quick. And if you were lucky the septa's would give out small sacks of fresh fruits and jars of preserves and jams from the Reach as well. In the Sept's dedicated to the Smith free clothes, firewood and metal cookware were given out.

But the good mood of the city quickly plunged from the highs of the Seven Heavens to the Depths of the Seven Hells, and soon the mood of the smallfolk reached past the tipping point. For the increasingly angry crowds soon found out, it was not just their neighborhood sept or bakery which was not giving out food. No, soon the crowds found that even in the larger septs and the two Godswood the stands of the King were absent . No trenchers of meat soup, no sausages, no cheeses, no milk, no eggs or fruit, even the bakery had none of the good free bread baked, the kind all the people received. That day the bakers had baked only the regular bread for sale and the bread that was bought by the septs, made to be given to the poorest as alms.

The Smallfolk of King's Landing grew in resentment as they remembered the joyful and bountiful time of King Robert and recalled their nostalgic memories ,which were in truth not even a year old, of how during the reign of the Fat and Merry King the free food was enough that even the hungriest beggars slept full those days. Already the city had been getting angrier at the growing lack of food and the high cost of that which is available. For not only was the cost of food brought in by cart from the Reach higher than food brought in by barge even during times of peace; Now the cart driving merchants of the Reach would take full advantage of the conditions of Kings Landing to demand ever higher prices, indeed it is said in the few moons of the blockade of the Blackwater Rush they made more coin in a sennight that they made in a moon in another year.

But this anger of the Smallfolk was greatly compounded buy the rumors and knowledge that had spread about the Wildfyre. While the Crown had sent heralds to the squares and markets of the City, and promised to remove the cache and protect all, the smallfolk did not feel safe. All had seen the great clouds of smoke rising from the bay where ships burned, all had known or heard of someone who had died when the docks burned green. All this was compounded by the rumors going around that the Crown had known about the Wildfyre and King Stannis had only fled when the King Joffrey threatened to set southern Kings Landing alight like he had the bay. And the smallfolk had reason to believe this. For how could it be that King Stannis had found out about the Wildfyre in two days but the Crown had not in 20 years? Many rumors claimed that King Stannis' forces were informed of the dangers by the Crowns messengers though the Royal Court knew nothing about these supposed messengers or indeed the Wildfyre at the time.

Thus when the Kings Party, the Lords and Ladies of the Royal Court, ride from the Red Keep to the Arena they do so in a city which is poised to explode, similar to the Wildfyre threatening it. The City Watch guard the narrow streets but are simply unable to hold back the crowds that come out to meet the Kings party.

On the way back to the castle, as the royal party rides up the Hook at the foot of Aegon's High Hill, a woman in tattered and dirty robes walks out of the crowd with a dead baby and blocks the way. Prince Tommen encourages his brother King Joffrey to help the woman by giving her some money, so he throws a silver stag. The mother ignores the coin, however, and men in the crowd fight over it. When Queen Cersei advises Joffrey to leave the woman, the mother begins cursing at the queen. Someone throws dung at the king, hitting him squarely in the face. Incensed, Joffrey sends Ser Gregor Clegane after the unseen culprit, who may have been on a roof. When King Joffrey orders the Hound, Ser Sandor Clegane to cut through the crowd, they angrily shout curses at the party, further inflaming the situation. Some call out the names of Stannis Baratheon, Joffrey's uncle and the pretender seeking the Iron Throne. Many call out for protection from the Wildfyre and for mercy, even more in the crowd call out for the meat, cheese and bread King Robert had given them, a gift which to the smallfolk had become their due, especially from the man claiming to be King Roberts trueborn son .

Queen Cersei gives orders for the party to rush through the crowd. The Guards leads forward and create wedge of gold cloaks. Ser Mandon Moore cuts off the hand of someone who touches Joffrey's leg. Ser Aron Santagar is pulled from his saddle, Ser Balon Swann fights his way forward, and the unhorsed Sandor Clegane disappears in the crowd despite his great height. King Joffrey rides over someone and gallops to the castle with Ser Mandon by his side. The High Septons litter is overturned and he is ripped to shreds along with many of his retainers. According to folk tales his body and that of his companions, the Most Devout, is stewed and served to the hungry poor in a small sept in flea bottom. As the party comes to the Red Keep they realize about a dozen lords and ladies were missing, initially presumed dead but about half would turn up alive if not injured and brutalized and raped. These would include Lady Lollys Stokeworth who was violated by a 100 men it is said and became pregnant from the encounter and Lord Tyrek Lannister who was unhorsed, only to escape with the aid of some goldcloaks. However he was betrayed and mounted by a rouge member of the goldcloaks before Lord Tyrek secured a sword, killed the man who violated him and then fought his was through some two dozen men, hiding for a day and night in a smashed and looted shop until he could make his way to the Red Keep the next morning.

Outside the Red Keep the city devolves into a sea of violence. Shops and houses are raided, but few burned for none wanted to risk setting a hidden pot of Wildfyre alight. This fear is also the only thing keeping the Alchemist guild headquarters unharmed though many Wisdoms ,as the members of the Order were known, who were out in the open would be ripped apart by the crowds. The goldcloaks being indifferent to their screams and providing no aid for none in the city had any love for alchemists at this time.

A baker is killed in his oven for allegedly charging too much for his bread. A goldsmith is killed for having a full larder while the poor starve, a larder it is claimed by the mob was filled by the tainted coin of usury and paid for by the hungry poor. His manse is burned down, this fire in turn causes more panic for fear of igniting Wildfyre and stampedes occur leading to hundreds of deaths. In southern Kings Landing mobs would attack the Velaryon Manses out of greed for the riches inside, as well as fear and hate for many mob leaders would claim without proof that as nobles with the blood of Old Valyria the Velaryon's of Kings Landing must have known about the Wildfyre and plots of the Mad King, showing greedy and angry mobs do not understand the intricacies of Westerosi politics. But these mobs would be repelled, by one estimate over a thousand people would be slaughtered by Velaryon Guards in their attempt to storm the manses and the Velaryon Bank. Many merchants and the like would also flee the city, using the lull in the conflict and the now open gates to run away to their country manses and homes belonging to relatives living far away from the city. Many nobles would also send heirs, children and wives away.

Prince Tywin, Hand of the King imposes a harsh curfew to restore order after whats now called the Wildfyre riot. After realizing that his grandson and children had continued to be foolish and Lord Denys had not been pardoned after the Battle of King Landing Prince Tywin takes a break from arranging the disposal of the Wildfyre, among other tasks required to run the Realm and secure the Crown, and orders the former Hand of the King to be freed. This is done on the original terms even though Prince Tywin thought these overly generous, but he could not change them after the Crown had already acted in bad faith once by not holding up his end of the bargain. The King, suitably cowed by his grandfather, signs the pardon. Within a sennight the Arryns have reached home and the in turn a sennight after that the first grain barges who had been stopped at Falcons Rush reach the city, almost sparking another riot as people rushed to secure food. This helps alleviate the food situation as the river networks quickly regrow and the price of food comes tumbling down and the markets fill up again. Though the price of food would remain higher than it was before the war as the trade from the Riverland's had suffered due to the carnage there. This all meant while the city was no longer poised to explode, it was not yet calm, rather festering in fear, resentment and still present hunger.

While the Battle of Kings Landing and the Wildfyre riots were occurring the Riverland's was still at war. A third Lannister Host, this time under the command of Strafford Lannister and Prince Loren Lannister emerged from the Golden Tooth. They would smash a Vance and Piper Host marching towards Riverrun by taking them unaware, before marching on Harrenhal. Meanwhile realizing enemies approached from the north and south Lord Kevan would also take his troops to Harrenhal.

There Lady Sheila Whent would surrender the Keep, which the soon to be combined Lannister Host would hold. A dagger, ready and able to strike any Riverland host or Keep.

But as the Lannister grouped at Harrenhal and once again secured King Landing, the Baratheon-Tully's grouped at the Inn at the Crossroads and Storms End. With this the war came to a pause as each side tried to wait for the other to make a move. The Lannisters were undoubtedly outnumbered in aggregate, but held strong strategic positions and had two unified hosts. Further they were also busy dealing with the removal of the Wildfyre.

Meanwhile the Baratheon's biggest problem was consolidating the Riverland Hosts and thus be able to overwhelm the Lannisters with the force they had on paper, scattered though it may be across the land. However they too were waiting for a removal of the Wildfyre, King Stannis not wanting to risk the city.

This Stalemate traditionally marks the end of the opening phase of the War.

Chapter 24: Ravens Flying in the Storm of Blood and Treason

Chapter Text

The second phase of the Great Storm War began after the Wildfyre riots. It would last for some moons as the cold months and the new year came. Both the Lannisters and the Baratheon-Tully's refused to raise more levies during this time to save coin and more importantly, especially for the Lannisters, to prepare for the coming planting months for each side had realised their increasing dependence on the Reach and hence the Gardner's. And neither wanted to give the Green Hand more leverage and control. Indeed the Lannister would even send back some peasant levies from Harrenhal. This was a wise choice for soon white ravens were seen flying across the realm, heralding the end to the single longest streak of summer years in centuries and bringing forth an autumn which was then expected to last about two or three years before the coming long winter.

The reason for the lack of major campaigns during this time by the Baratheon-Lannisters and Baratheon-Tully's was due to a strategic stalemate. In the Riverland's the Lannister Host at Harrenhal was too entrenched for the Baratheon-Tully Host at the Inn of the Crossroads to dislodge, while also preventing the Tully's from creating a joint Host of all Riverland forces, for to concentrate their armies would mean they needed to leave their lands vulnerable, a vulnerability whose downsides had been made apparent through Lannister raiding during the Burning of the Riverland's. Though the Riverlords were not passive completely and during these months the Baratheon-Tully's and their vassals were indeed able to either defeat the raiding parties or force them to re-join the Host at Harrenhal or Kings Landing, retaking all the land of the Riverland's barring that around Harrenhal and the Gods Eye Lake, from which the Lannisters ensured continuing food supplies to Kings Landing, few though it may be with the city dependent principally on the Reach for food during this time.

In the southern theater, in the Crownlands and northern Stormlands, both sides were waiting for the Prince Hand to finish securing and disposing off all the Wildfyre from the City of Kings Landing. Indeed during this time all Houses, not just those who were at war, held their breath and waited to see if the Lions would be successful or if Kings Landing would die in a lake of green fire as a final horrific testament to the malicious madness of Aerys II.

None of the combatants wanted to make a move until the Wildfyre was gone. For if armies either left or approached the city, the smallfolk and indeed the soldiers may panic. And just a single spark created by said panic could risk countless lives, destroying the Iron Throne they so deeply coveted. But despite the lack of battle in these months, both sides were reassured by the fact that the disposal was moving carefully but briskly meaning they would be able to secure their rightful claim soon. Prince Tywin showing all his genius and he developed twelve separate safe disposal sites with the aid of the alchemists, systematically securing the City.

But despite the lack of large battle, neither the Lions nor the Stags were idle during this phase. Rather both the Lions and the Stags as well as other parties used this time to prepare for the upcoming battles as they realised there would be no quick end to this war. Hence this period is called the Ravens War for all sides used this time of stalemate to try and gain more allies; For at their current strength the Lions and Stags were too evenly matched for one to gain a decisive advantage.

There were three main parties which could be drawn in by either the Baratheon-Lannisters or the Baratheon-Tully's. These were House Gardner, House Martell and House Baratheon of Dragonstone. For at this time the Starks-Arryn Alliance was remaining neutral, especially as Lord Denys had been released by the Crown. Also no one was desperate enough or mad enough to trust the Iron Born, the Greyjoy Rebellion still fresh on their minds.

The single most advantageous but also dangerous ally to have would have been House Gardner. They had the men, ships and gold to easily overwhelm any of the Kingdoms and most importantly bordered the Stormlands, Riverland's and Westerlands meaning they could easily strike at any side. Aligning with House Gardner would also increase the possibility of the Starks and Arryns also intervening due to the betrothal announcement of Prince Willas and Princess Rowena and the Stark-Arryn Alliance. Of course it should be noted that the marriage had not occurred yet, and all the Great Houses were aware that House Gardner entering the war may in fact backfire on their ambitions and prevent the Stark-Arryn-Gardner alliance from coming forth as the Starks and Arryns valued their neutrality, not least House Gardner itself.

However the biggest barrier, more than the possibility of any lost alliance on part of the Green Hand, was that Highgarden was too powerful to be a mere ally and everyone knew it. This was the reason why none of the parties were interested in sealing a pact with the Gardner's. For to do so would mean winning the war and losing the peace that followed. The price of the alliance would be high, including not only marriage to Princess Margery Gardner but also many offices meaning that the realm would find Prince Garland Gardner acting as shadow King of Westeros , this was unacceptable to either side who had their own reasons for hating House Gardner.

However at the same time House Gardner held no love for either the Stags or the Lions. And further they were in no hurry to intervene in the war. The Green Hand was content to wait as the Lions and Stags fought one another, growing weaker, more desperate. Further the Reach had found the war, tragedy though it may be, to be a very profitable time. Coin flowed in from across the warring realm, the flow of gold growing from that like a calm river in years past, to a raging one threatening to spill its banks as it was fed by the rains of bloodshed and destruction. As the realm bled and burned the Reach and its Lords waited for the optimum time to harvest the bounty in front of it, for like any good farmer knows, one needs to be patient to gain the ripest fruit for the least effort .

One option also present was Dorne. But whereas no one wanted to ally with the Reach for they were too strong, Dorne and the Martells were too untrustworthy. Indeed in the eyes of the Stags and Lions the Martells were second only to the Greyjoys in terms of potential treachery

The Martells still hungered for blood in order to avenge the death of the children of Princess Elia and her rape. They had also not forgotten the influence and power denied to them when Prince Rhaegar fell. Indeed the Martells and the Dornish nobility were said to have hungered for power and influence over the Iron Throne more deeply than any other Kingdom. Many of the same Maesters who alleged this deemed it a legacy of the Dragons Wroth during Argons Conquest, the event which nearly saw the destruction of Dorne and its People and where half of its people died.

In doing so the Dragon wroth created not only physical scars, but also a permanent one in the collective Dornish soul it is said. A scar whose ache was only lessened when the Dornish were assured of their grip on the realms affairs, and when they were sure the forces of the Iron Throne would not turn on them. For it is not discussed much outside Dorne, but as every Dornishman knows 'For every one Dornishman killed in the Dragon's Wroth by dragon fire, four were killed by swords and arrows'. Meaning the Dornish nobles and smallfolk are said to have still feared the armies of the Iron Throne pouring out of the Prince's pass, even if the Dragons were gone.

As such most of the Dornish Nobility were very much willing and ready to intervene to regain power and influence, if need be even willing to side temporarily with the Lannisters despite their murder of Princess Elia's children. The revenge delayed to a more appropriate time. But they were held back by Prince Doran who would not intervene. In fact under his command Dorne went silent for all intents and purposes, with Sunspear forbidding any new marriages and fostering's between Dorne and the rest of the Kingdoms until the war ended. Prince Doran even went so far as to chastise Lord Dayne when he sent his own men to help secure Blackhaven, seat of House Dondarrion and currently held by his sister Lady Allyria in the name of her three sons. Prince Doran to the outrage of not just House Dayne but the wider Dornish nobility demanded that Lord Dayne abandon his own kin and recall his men, an insult it is said Lord Dayne never forgot.

Prince Doran was seemingly uncaring for the impact of the war on his House's standing, uncaring for the ties his bannermen had cultivated with other kingdoms and the damage neutrality was wrecking on these , uncaring for even the disruption of trade and other such issues, so long as the fighting itself did not spread to his lands. But even more than this what is surprising is that at this time, by all the accounts of his nobles, Prince Doran was apparently equally uninterested in seeking revenge for his sister Princess Elia, even when he was presented with an opportunity to so through the offer of alliance sent by the Baratheon's of Storms End.

This proposal of alliance was brought to Sunspear by Lord Andrew Estermont who came as the official envoy of King Stannis, and was indeed treated by the Martells as a Kings Envoy, with many Dornish noting with approval the sending of blood kin and that too the heir to the Hand of the King Lomas Estermont. The opening of the alliance discussions was made sweeter by the gifting of the head of Amory Lorch, who had murdered Princess Elia's daughter Princess Rhaenys. It is said that when she saw the head Princess Elia could not stop smiling and arranged for the celebrations to mark Lord Estermont arrival, a simple feast, to be quickly increased to a Grand Party that day, arranging for mummers, fools, tumblers, puppeteers and many more singers, the best which were in Sunspear that day. The Princess Elia herself is described to have come alive and regained some of her lost radiance, smiling and singing and laughing and dancing from mid day until after sunrise the next without stop in celebration. Many accounts of the party claim that Princess Elia only stopped dancing when her feet started bleeding and she could truly dance no longer. As part of the alliance offer, along with gold and offices, the Baratheon's also promised the heads of Lord Kevin Lannister and Ser Gregor Clegane. The hand of Prince Orys Baratheon was also offered to Princess Arianne despite the over ten year gap between them, with Prince Orys being too young to marry just yet requiring the marriage to be held after the war. Storm's End asked for the armies of Dorne to aid them in the war as their contribution to the alliance.

However to the mystification of many in the Dornish Nobility, Prince Doran in truth rejected the offer, or rather claimed he would think about it, inviting Lord Andrew to stay in his court as an honoured guest until Prince Doran decided. Many nobles claimed the Prince to be not just craven but also heartless to deny the possibility for revenge after seeing just how much Princess Elia still suffered. By now Prince Doran's cautious attitude towards the war was creating a new faction of Dornish lords and ladies who found his actions, or rather inaction, both mad and maddening for they wanted to fight.

Soon the Dornish Nobles, both who were angry with Prince Doran's inaction and those whose supported his caution, would visit the Court of Sunspear in order to either change their liege's mind or encourage him to stay strong. Thus the Dornish court saw a House and Kingdom divided. Prince Quentyn Martell, Prince Doran's eldest son, sided with his father. Even more importantly Prince Doran was supported by Lord Yronwood, the Bloodroyal and the second strongest noble in all of Dorne as well as other Lords including Lord Jordayne, Lord Fowler and Lord Brownhill. This meant that Prince Doran's inaction and neutrality had powerful supporters.

But of course not all nobles agreed and many protested this course of inaction heavily. Those who advocated for action found their voices carried in court by Prince Doran's Heir and Prince Quentyn's elder sister Princess Arianne. In this she was backed by her aunt and uncle Princess Elia and Prince Qberyn. Also among her supporters were the sand snakes, Prince Oberyn's bastard daughters and his paramour Ellaria Sand of Hellholt. Nobles supporting Princess Arianne included Lady Santangar, Lady Shell, Lord Uller and Lord Wyl among others.

The youngest Martell child, Prince Trystane remained neutral, being deemed too young by his family to be involved in such matters and spent most of this time playing with the children of visiting nobles of both sides.

At a session of the Sunspear court attended by the nobility but not Prince Doran himself, Princess Arianne would sum up the frustration of the more….passionate Dornish nobility when she told Lord Jordayne, who supported the course of caution, "My father is very good at doing nothing. He calls it thinking. Now is not the time to be timid my Lord, but to be bold, now is the time to strike. All that we want, Gold, Vengeance, a Crown and power over the realm, it all can be ours if we strike now, not a year later, not even a moon later but NOW"

This debate became much more pronounced when within a moon of Lord Andrew arriving at Sunspear, Lord Tyrek Lannister, son of Lord Tygett Lannister also landed ashore in the Planky Town, acting as an envoy representing King Joffrey. His arrival almost created a crisis as Prince Oberyn's daughters would apparently attempt to size him to use as a hostage, in violation of the laws and traditions of Westeros which say envoys should not be harmed or seized unless they break the peace. In the end however Lord Tyrek makes it to Sunspear unharmed due to the intervention of Prince Doran. This would do no favors to the Martell reputation for while none had a love for the Lannisters the idea of seizing an envoy was not something the Dornish nobility supported. Many Dornish nobles write of whispers in court of the Sand Snakes being as reckless and dangerous as their father.

There in the Court of Sunspear in front of the assembled nobles, Lord Tyrek on behalf of the King Joffrey and Hand of the King Prince Tywin, also offers an alliance. The terms the Crown offers promises to betroth either Lord Tyrek himself or Prince Tion Lannister to Princess Arianne. In both cases the marriages would need to be in about a years time due to the young ages of the Lannisters, both being at least 10 years younger than Princess Arianne. Also included was a large bride price as part of the betrothal, with a marriage to Lord Tyrek including a larger bride price as compensation of his lower title.

The Crown would also offer House Martell justice for the murdered children of Princess Elia in the form of a trial for Ser Gregor Clegane for his actions during the sack. Prince Doran is also offered a seat on the King Joffrey's small council as well as some castles and their entailed lands on the Dornish Marches, this offer brought thunderous dissent from the Dayne's as Blackhaven was among the lands offered. In return the Crown asked for Prince Doran's loyalty to King Joffrey and support of Dorne in the war in the form of Dornish ships and armies with Dorne required to send a host into the Stormlands

Prince Doran rejected the terms, or rather again promised to think on them. When Lord Tyrek after a sennight offers a few more inducements such as tax breaks on Dornish wine Prince Doran again rejects the terms of the offer, or rather takes them into consideration again. Of course these tax breaks would be matched by Lord Andrew. In the end both envoys would remain at Sunspear for many moons and during this time Prince Doran does nothing except sending more guards to the high passes. According to the court tales of Sunspear while outwardly considering both offers Prince Doran is adamant in private that he will not raise his armies to give battle or to fight unless Dorne itself is at danger.

And though it is likely both Storms End and the Crown knew that, they still continued its negotiations, likely in hopes that Prince Doran would change his mind and also because each side could use the possibility of Dorne entering the war as a weapon. This was especially true for the Crown for risk of losing their lands would make the Marcher lords rethink their loyalty. Further the possibility of the Dornish marching north would also hopefully halt Stannis Baratheon in marching on the City again lest he leaves his lands open for attack, or at the very least force him to march with fewer men.

Many lords in the Dornish Court and across the Realm also believed that Prince Doran ,during this time and in the years prior, had been in contact with the exiled Targaryens and that this neutrality was to save Dornish strength for a second conquest. Many further believe that the reason why King Viserys III remained unmarried at the time of the Confrontation in Volantis, despite his age and the risk of his line dying out, was due to the fact that he was betrothed to Princess Arianne. Thus continued negotiations was also viewed by the Stags and Lions as a way to neutralize future support for any Targaryen invasion for if Princess Arianne was married into either the Lannister families then the Targaryens would lose their most likely ally.

Both in that time and even till this day many speculate that this alliance with the Targaryens was the reason that Prince Doran was visibly displeased with the betrothal offers sent as part of the alliance. With many suggesting the numerous aged suitors he offered his heir such as Lord Walder Frey, Lord Ben Beesbury, Lord Gyles Rosby, and Lord Estermont (the elder sword swallowing one), whilst declining more age-matched suitors (like Ser Garlan Gardner and the Darkstar) were to create excuses to prevent Princess Arianne to get married. For it seems strange Prince Doran would only suggest suitors he must have known his daughter would reject.

The Last major ally that the Lions and Stags could approach was Prince Renly, the youngest brother of King Robert, former Master of Laws, Prince of the Narrow Sea and Lord of Dragonstone. Ever since he and his household had been sent away by Lord Denys Arryn he had been staying at his seat of Dragonstone. According to the records of Maester Cressen Prince Renly had initially planned to ignored all ravens from his brother Stannis until he granted him concessions, but to his rage and embarrassment none came forth from Storms End. Rather the only ravens Prince Renly got from is brother were those sent to all the Lords of the Realm.

Indeed it would not be until the Battle in the Bay, the naval component of the Battle of Kings Landing, approached did the Lions and Stags remember that Prince Renly lived and that he ,through the Keep and Royal Fleet of Dragonstone and his Narrow Sea vassals, controlled the gates of the Blackwater Bay. This strange oversight was probably due to the disdain both factions held Prince Renly in for he was charismatic yet frivolous, untested in battle or command and achieved nothing of note or even praise during his time as Master of Laws. Or as King Stannis once put it "He sits in council while being less useful than an unsharpened blade and jests with the vipers from the court, such as Littlefinger, not realising they are laughing at him and not with him; And at tourneys he dons his splendid suit of armor and allows himself to be knocked off his horse by a better man. Worse he allows himself to be defiled and dishonored by our enemies and loves them for it. That is the sum of my brother Renly". Queen Cersei and the Lions also greatly disliked Prince because of his mockery of the then Crown Prince Joffrey and due to the fact that Prince Renly acted as one of the main advocates of the Gardner's due to his lover being Prince Loras Gardner. Of course the fact he had a male lover also greatly contributed to the disdain he was held in. But all the disdain and mockery would not change the fact that the Baratheon brother that all had ignored and dismissed until that point was an integral part of the war, for he could change the field of the war and the odds of victory by either clearing or barring the sea path to Kings Landing.

Before the start of the Ravens War and the Battle of Kings landing Prince Renly had gotten many ravens demanding he swear fealty to both the Stags and the Lions, each side promising him only contempt and dire consequences for failing to obey them. Prince Renly however refused to answer anyone's ravens. Along with being well defended on sea the Island of Dragonstone was a self sufficient fort for House Targaryen had never neglected their ancestral seat. In fact for over a century after the Dance House Targaryen would spend twice as much on improving and strengthening Dragonstone than they received in taxes, substantial though they may have been even then for the island was lush, fertile, rich and prosperous.

Excerpt from "House Targaryen, A Recent History" by Grand Maester Merion

Dragonstone is a castle on the island of the same name at the entrance to Blackwater Bay , below the Dragonmont . It was the original seat of House Targaryen in Westeros , and had been colonized and fortified as the westernmost outpost of the Valyrian Freehold . Shaped from stone to look like dragons , the castle has a dark reputation. The Island of the same name is one of the great fortresses of Westeros and easily one of it greatest seats. The western part of the island, the land immediately surrounding the keep of Dragonstone, was rocky and barren but this played an important purpose for both the Valyrian Freehold and House Targaryen alike. The rocky and disjointed shore made the approach from the sea easy to guard. Meaning even a direct assault on the Keep by a much superior force would not have good odds, with the invading army finding it difficult to create the momentum needed to take the Keep by storm. It also created an ideal area for dragons to live, with dragons preferring the fire mountain which is the Dragonmont.

Further the rest of the island was easy to navigate and thus deploy troops to by land, even more than others its size for all its paths were made of cobblestone and it had a hundred stone bridges to make crossing streams and valleys easy. As for its coastline, it was dotted by fishing villages which also harvested salt. Each of which filled all the coastline where people could land from sea easily and every single one was walled with a Holdfast meaning that if one wanted to land one had to do so after winning a naval siege, a siege which would delay the invasion enough for a response to be mustered.

In terms of food to last through a trade blockade or siege the island was sufficient, even assuming all the smugglers could be deterred. The risk of a superior navy preventing the people from fishing was minimal, but even if it was achieved, the productive farms of grains in the scattered flatland's and valleys that existed could feed the populace, they also had the bounty of the large orchards of wine grapes, fruits and olives to sustain themselves. These had been planted in the step farms the Princes of Dragonstone had carved at great cost into the hillsides over three centuries………………. The Dragon Mount on which the keep stood was home to many mines of Sulfur and dragonglass which was sold across the narrow sea ensuring a steady stream of coin.

The strength of his seat meant Prince Renly was right to be confident to a degree for it would take a very large army and navy to take Dragonstone. In truth the only reason House Targaryen had simply not held onto the island in defiance of the new King after Robert's Rebellion was a worry that in a few years time, once the Usurper Robert consolidated his control the Kingdoms he indeed would be able to crack its defenses and by that time House Targaryen would be unable to flee. Now however Prince Renly was confident the forces to take the island would not be assembled anytime soon and even if such a force was raised it would not be set on him for if any side committed such a large force to take Dragonstone, they would leave themselves vulnerable to their enemies.

All this defensive strength however obscures the motives for his defiance and neutrality. The reason that Prince Renly remained neutral was not because he had some prior love nor loyalty for the Lannisters. Rather he believed Lord Denys' claims and thus held deep hatred of the Lions who cuckolded and killed his brother, King Robert. Despite this Prince Renly also greatly disdained his brother the now King Stannis; Indeed according to Maester Cressen's records Prince Renly felt greatly betrayed by King Stannis and believed that to bend the knee to him or his line was intolerable. The reasons for this are multi-fold.

First and foremost was the fact that King Stannis had apparently known about the betrayal of their elder brother King Robert but King Stannis had done nothing, he had not told anyone, especially Prince Renly and had left them all blind. Indeed Prince Renly would claim to many that King Stannis was just as much of a Kingslayer and Kinslayer as the Lannisters. Further Prince Renly was also upset and hurt over the fact that King Stannis had not bothered to aid either of his brothers. Not only had King Stannis failed to defend King Robert from Lannister treachery, If Lord Denys had not warned him and sent him away, Prince Renly would likely was ended up in the black cells at best. A fate which King Stannis was not bothered about if his silence and inaction was any indication. In fact King Stannis did not even bother to send a raven to Dragonstone to enquire about Prince Renly once the war began. The only raven Storm's End sent to Prince Renly, that was not a realm wide proclamation, would not be filled with a plea for solidarity against a common enemy by his kin and family but an impersonal command to bend the knee.

Another main piece of contention was related to the long running argument over Renly's relationship with Prince Loras Gardner. King Stannis and his wife now Queen Catelyn had always held Prince Renly in contempt for being in love with a Gardner and being a sword swallower, and both had never shied away from showing their disdain. Indeed when Prince Renly would spend time with Stannis' children teaching them the courtly arts it would be stopped by then Princess Catelyn, for she was worried that it was all a ruse to gain her sons trust only for her goodbrother to then rape them. An accusation which Prince Renly never forgot not forgave. Prince Renly also never forgot nor forgave the degrading manner with which his goodsister had treated Lord Eldon Estermont, their eldest uncle and one who Prince Renly was closest with. Many accounts claim that Princess Catelyn stated to the nobles assembled at the Royal and Storm's End Court that the reason why Prince Renly was a sword swallower was that he had been infected by the perversion after being raped by his Uncle Eldon when Renly was a young child, something which is not true and not how hom*osexuality works.

As such when the Battle of Kings Landing approached and King Stannis finally remembered his brother, Prince Renly was not at all amenable to being cooperative.

The depth of disdain the King Stannis held his brother is also seen in the letters asking, or rather commanding, Prince Renly to aid Storms End. King Stannis demanded that Prince Renly bend the knee, summon his banners for the upcoming battle, hand over command of his keep and his fleet to Ser Davos Seaworth and send his lover Prince Loras to Storms End in chains, as a hostage King Stannis could use as leverage in negotiations with Highgarden. King Stannis took pains to mention that he was still greatly angered that his younger brother was letting himself be "defiled" by the son of Prince Garland, who had attempted to starve them during the siege of Storms End and whose family King Stannis had never forgiven. And claimed that this was an opportunity for Prince Renly to redeem himself.

These were things Prince Renly was simply unwilling to do, and according to the Maester Cressen's records was frankly outraged that his brother even had the audacity to make these demands.

As such for the starting part of the war Prince Renly refused ravens and envoys, refused to aid his brother, refused to let the Storm fleet use Dragonstone as a base, called back his fleets patrolling the outer bay, refused to capture or sink warships of any side, defied orders from each side of a trade blockade and welcomed smugglers and merchants so long as they paid his own (much lower) tariffs. Indeed the consequences of the Last two acts was Dragonstone and the Dragon port becoming an even larger center of commerce during the war, as all the smugglers and even legitimate merchants in the bay and surrounding waters would come to Dragonstone to trade, the Fortress island acting as safe marketplace, one where so long as one paid the small tariff and kept the peace they were safe not just from the many navies out for their blood but also from one another.

But despite being neutral Prince Renly was not ignoring the war raging in the not so far distance and was not without his own schemes during this time. He had sent ravens to Highgarden, secretly having begun talks of marrying Princess Margery Gardner himself and promising Highgarden the power they desired if they made him King. But House Gardner refused the offer almost immediately, Prince Renly hardly having the time to contemplate his battle strategy before receiving a reply. For the Green hand was not desperate for a crown yet and were content to let the current forces of the Lions and Stags fight and die. Further House Gardner believed that despite his unquestionable Baratheon heritage ,somethings the Lions could not offer, as well as the lack of hatred towards their House, something the Stags could not offer, in the end Prince Renly still did not bring much to the marriage.

Despite the wealth and prestige of holding the seat of Dragonstone, the island and Narrow Sea Houses which Prince Renly commanded were simply not powerful enough to make a difference outside of controlling the gates to Backwater Bay . Thus by allying with him House Gardner would be taking over the burden of winning the Crown almost completely. Hence it would be better for the Green Hand to wait and then entertain offers from the Great Houses which could marshal the strength to actually win and hold the Iron Throne. Also a worry for Highgarden was their long term goal of converting the Stark-Arryn Alliance into the Stark-Arryn-Gardner Alliance, and this could be jeopardised if the Starks and Arryns disagreed with putting Renly on the throne.

For even if the recognised children of King Robert were indeed bastards born of incest between the Queen and the Kingslayer, the law was clear that Stannis Baratheon and his line were next in the line of succession. And while House Gardner was not attached to the laws of succession to the Iron Throne, as they believed these had been shattered when the Targaryens had been overthrown, they were not confident that the Starks and Arryns agreed with this interpretation. Indeed House Gardner did not even wish to try in finding out.

Furthermore according to the court tales of Highgarden Prince Garland did not want his daughter to be married to a sword swallower and live like a maid for the rest of her life, or be condemned to only whor*s and secret lovers, even if at that point Princess Margery cared much more for a crown than the future fulfillment of her carnal needs. In reality a much larger obstacle for Prince Renly was that none in the Gardner family ,barring Prince Loras who wanted a King for a lover, wished for Prince Renly to fight for the Iron Throne. They were all worried that if something happened to the youngest Baratheon brother in battle it would shatter Prince Loras, the youngest and favorite son of House Gardner and Prince Renly's lifelong lover. Prince Willas is recorded in the court tales as saying "Loras is strong like an oak tree but Renly is his sun. And should something happen to the sun even the strongest oak trees will wither and die."

After the Battle of Kings Landing and the start of the Ravens War both sides would once again make attempts reach out to Prince Renly sending envoys but he would be convinced by his advisors to stay neutral. The envoys, Peytr Baelish for the Crown and Matthos Seaworth, the son of Ser Davos Seaworth and a squire to King Stannis were also not impressive nor persuasive. According to the records of Maester Cressen there was at this time an aborted attempt to use Melisandre of Asshai as a way to harness the might of Essos and the Red faith, with Prince Renly trading religious toleration and of allowing the Red Priest preaching in Westeros for gold and armies. The Red Priestess was enthusiastic about but bargain but turned it down, claiming the Lord of Light was clear that winning the Iron Throne was not in Prince Renly's destiny and that he should remain neutral, like the fires showed him to be. Defeated Prince Renly retired to the Dragons Orchard, a Manse on a small bay only a short distance from the Keep on the other side of the Dragons mount. Its small Azure bay was clear, picturesque and filled with fish and sea plants. Its coastline beaches cleaned, curated and dotted with intricately carved and decorated wooden pavilions and other such structures. The Manse itself was Lysene in style and was attached to a Lysene styled pleasure garden filled with fruit trees, flowers, fountains and sculptures and was lined on one side by an enormous bathing pool the guests could swim in. But this paradise was also very secure. Any ships approaching it would be spotted by the Keep of Dragonstone which had a raven warning of danger constantly ready to be deployed at the first sign of invaders. Similarly the bays entrance was barred by a winding series of great chains and the outer coastline which met the sea beyond the bay was also guarded by small but stout watchtowers on the coast. Accompanying him were his lover Prince Loras and other members of his court, all of whom with a few exception (and the exceptions stayed in the keep as it was) were men and we can believe sword swallowers alike. Prince Renly would stay here until the coming of a ship, one whose arrival would herald a new era for Westeros and the world.

However while the Lions and Stags plotted and tried to gain allies, other plots were being hatched as well and Prince Renly was hardly the only one who tried to set up their own pieces to play in the next round.

In the Iron Islands there were many schemes of rebellion.

First and foremost was the rebellion plotted by the sons of House Greyjoy and its supporters. Lord Balon Greyjoy wanted to avenge the humiliation he had suffered. Indeed though being thoroughly defeated Lord Balon never gave up on his desire to become king. With the death of King Robert and the outbreak of the Great Storm War, Lord Balon assembled his fleets and ordered all ship captains to prepare for war. He also forbade foreign ships from visiting all of the Iron Islands except Harlaw Port, the main port town in Harlaw Island and the largest Iron Born settlement. Lord Balon did so to ensure he would have the element of surprise. In this he was supported by most of the nobility in the Salt Court of Pyke who too wanted to wash away the shame of defeat in the Greyjoy rebellion and use the unfolding chaos to reave the sunset coast, paying the Iron Price for their treasures.

As was common across the history of the Iron Born, despite the destruction and devastation that following the old way caused the dreams it inspired never died. Even after the reprisals by King Robert not even a generation ago the priests of the Drowned God still stood knee deep in the salt sea preaching of the Old Way, whilst in a hundred wharfside brothels and sailor’s taverns old men still told tales of days gone by, when the Iron Born were rich and proud, and every oarsman had a dozen salt wives to warm his bed by night. Many told the stories of not just centuries past but also more recent stories of their heroic exploits in the Greyjoy Rebellion and all the treasure they were able to garner from their raid on Lannisport. They would salivate as the prospect of returning to the city, so rich in wealth and women, so close to their shores and so vulnerable now that the Old Lion was gone, having marched with his armies to the east, deeper into the Greenland and away from their waters to win the boy King Joffrey the Iron Throne.

Many a boy and young man grew drunk upon such stories, hungry for the glories of the reaver’s life and eager to avenge the poverty and shame of their youth, eager to use the blood of their enemies to rewrite the history books which mocked their people for their weakness and foolishness in trying to defy the Iron Throne and the Stag Kings.

Thus the Iron Born nobility and captains readily dipped into their meager coffers, spending what little they had saved up to build more longships, forge swords, and train fighters. Soon they promised themselves, soon they would unleash an orgy of bloodletting, battle, rape, rapine, and murder on their enemies as the rest of Westeros was distracted by the Great Storm War and the stags were battling it out for the Iron Throne. Indeed it is said that when word reached Pyke that King Robert was dead and Lord Hand Denys had been arrested Lord Balon Greyjoy laughed aloud for the first time in years.

However as Lord Balon prepared to once again declare himself as King of the Iron Islands he would be stopped dead in his tracks by a raven from his goodbrother, Rodrik the Reader, Lord of Harlaw and Ten Towers and his Rock Wife's brother. Lord Rodrik declared that he would rebel should Lord Balon declare independence before he secured the freedom his last son, Lord Rodrik's nephew, Theon Greyjoy. In addition Lord Rodrik promised to bring the might of Harlaw on House Greyjoy should Lord Balon undertake any action which would put Theon in harms way.

Lord Balon was soon trapped by his fear. In his youth he might have ignored the warning and welcomed the challenge. Using it as an opportunity to win fame and write songs in blood which would stand as a testament to his strength and his House's right to rule the Iron Islands. Now however he was more cautious, especially as after the Greyjoy Rebellion the balance of power in the Iron Islands had very much shifted, even more so than in his youth, in House Harlaw's favour. Till now Lord Balon had been content to ignore Theon Greyjoy's fate which likely would have been death had he rebelled. For Lord Balon had deemed his daughter Lady Asha Greyjoy his preferred heir despite her sex. But he realised that his good brother had not written off his only surviving son and to rebel before securing him would mean that Lord Balon could possibly lose his position as ruler of the Iron Islands and even his life, especially if the rest of the Iron Born nobility chose not to support him in the war against House Harlaw, for the odds of the Greyjoys suppressing a Harlaw Rebellion on the back of their own strength were not good at all.

Excerpt from "The Iron Islands, An inquiry on the status of its Noble Houses by the end of the Third Century after Aegon's Conquest" By Archmaester Perestan whose ring and rod and mask are copper

The Harlaw's were the owners of Harlaw island, the richest and most densely populated of the Iron Islands. A title they had held for centuries, their strength and wealth acknowledged long before Aegon the Conqueror chose to elevate the less powerful but more popular House Greyjoy as the Lords Paramount of the Iron Islands. They held their island without question with a ll the other houses on Harlaw pledging fealty to House Harlaw, including Houses Kenning , Myre , Stonetree , and Volmark . Each of these was powerful and proud in their own right, but none dared challenge the Silver Scythe. Their control was further bolstered by the cadet branches of the Harlaws. These held the proud and powerful seats and fleets of Grey Garden , Harlaw Hall , Harridan Hill , and the Tower of Glimmering . This meant that the support of their vassals and cadet branches alone made the Harlaws of Ten Towers a power to fear.

But their strength was based on more than just ancestral inheritances. House Harlaw also controlled the Harlaw trading company. It was the largest and oldest Iron Born trading company by far, larger than all the rest put together in fact. It was the only Iron Born trading company to be of any true note in terms of size and capability and the only one which managed to maintain a constant and comprehensive presence in the thick trade networks across the Sunset, Summer and Narrow seas. This was indeed an accomplishment for these were ruthless networks which were just as adequate at destroying a merchants dreams as the Iron Born reavers were. During times of peace when the power of the Iron Throne was too much to ignore, many ruthless Iron Born captains who were undefeated in battle found themselves unable to best the merchants they hounded on sea in the market place. As such the trading companies set up by the other Noble Houses of the Iron Islands would generally close or be abandoned soon enough, its captains becoming fishermen or more likely sell sails and reavers in Essos. The few who found themselves to be good merchants would either undertake lone trading expeditions or more likely join the Harlaw trading company bolstering its capability and strength. And it was a good bargain for the captains as well; Going from being well mocked exceptions in their own Keeps and islands to honoured captains serving the Harlaws, building manses and fortunes in Harlaw port to leave behind as their inheritances.

The Harlaw trading company was also the only Iron Born trading company whose galleys had undertook trade expeditions to go as far as Yi-Ti. In fact while only a middling fighter Rodrick the Reader was a great trader and sailor, leading two trade fleets to Yi-Ti in his long life with one going as far as Asshai, becoming the First Iron Born to set foot in the city, at least the first whose voyage and identity the Maesters can verify and whose deeds are more than just song distorted by time.

However despite their wealth and focus on trade the Harlaws were not weak, instead like the wise Iron Born Kings of old used the gold made through trade to not only increase their and their peoples prosperity but also build the largest and best armed fleet and army in the Iron Islands. Indeed the Harlaws took to heart the lessons of ancient Iron King, Qhorwyn the Cunning who had spent his entire reign accumulating wealth and avoiding war. “War is bad for trade,” he said, infamously, even as he was doubling, then tripling the size of his fleets and commanding his smiths to forge more armor, swords, and axes for his armies. “Weakness invites attack,” King Qhorwyn ,who through the female line is an ancestor of House Harlaw, also declared. “To have peace, we must be strong.”

Further unlike the rest of the Iron Born who were still recovering from the scars of the Greyjoy rebellion and the crushing tribute extracted from then after the war, House Harlaw and its vassals has escaped such losses by surrendering the Island quickly during the Rebellion, sparing the Island of Harlaw from the fighting compared to Orkmont, Pyke, Blacktyde, and Great Wyke where in their attempt to fight off the forces of King Robert the Iron Born had ended up destroying their own homes. Further the profits from the Harlaw Trading Company was able to pay for their share, and that of their vassals, of the tribute extracted as a penalty by the crown. Meaning they were not bankrupted and impoverished like the rest of the noble families.

Also by outlawing thralldom on their own lands a century ago, and actually following the law themselves and not merely enforcing it on their lower ranked and poorer captains the Harlaws and their vassals were not crippled when King Robert's men found and set the Thralls of the Iron Islands free meaning their fields and mines where not silent and empty as the war ended.

Even more, the concessions they had secured from the Greyjoys in return from coin had only solidified Harlaw primacy in the Islands to the point that only the fact that the rest of the Islands would unite to prevent the Harlaws taking over kept the Greyjoys as Lords Paramount.

For all these achievements and accomplishments had festered great resentment and jealousy of House Harlaw. Only the sacred law of the Drowned God ,set forth by Galon Whitestaff himself, which prevented Iron Born from reaving their own shores and the less divine but much faster to be enacted threat of reprisal prevented the Noble Houses from attempting to reave Harlaw town and the islands prosperous villages. And indeed many would claim by obeying the "New Way" and the "Gold Price" House Harlaw had only disgraced themselves, sold out their honour and ceased to be true Iron Born with salt in their veins.

But whereas Lord Balon believed that once he had Theon Greyjoy back he would be able to declare his independence and seize back his Crown this was not to be for Rodrik the reader was not willing to indulge his goodbrother's fantasies of a Crown any longer. And so as orders were sent and preparations for war began in earnest across the Iron Islands and news came of Kevin Lannister attacking the Host at Raventree Hall, and rumours that now King Stannis Baratheon would finally begin his march on Kings Landing, Lord Rodrik offered to send his second and only surviving son James Harlaw to Winterfell to fetch his cousin. And the reader began putting his own schemes in motion.

Lord James Harlaw left for Winterfell with his eldest son Rodrick the Younger or Black Rodrick, the second name due to his mother being a Blackwood of Blackpool. Their aim was not a simple transport mission, rather they were tasked with three tasks:

First they were to understand Theon Greyjoys allegiances to the Old Way and his ambitions and plans for the future of the Iron Islands. In effect to figure out if he was more of his mothers son, or more of his fathers, and if he could indeed by trusted as an ally in the Harlaws attempts at implementing the New Way, for good this time. Second they were to try an seal an alliance with the Starks and the North, if need be by offering James daughter Alannys to marriage to a Stonestark, a Ryswell of Darkport or a Glenshield of Glenn Port. Or indeed accepting a bride for Black Roderick. As part of the alliance they were required to secure the support of the North's Western Navy. Third they were to try and arrange for a marriage for Theon Greyjoy, preferably making him consent to talks with a Reach or Northern House. One which would help bind the next generation of Greyjoys to the Seven Kingdoms and the Iron Throne.

This willingness and desire to remain under the Iron Throne was in fact one of the main distinguishing features of the New Way espoused by Lord Rodrick, one which would see the Iron Islands prosper if only it was allowed to be implemented. In fact unlike many Iron Born Lord Rodrick prayed for a short war, for the faster the Iron Throne could reassert control, no matter who actually sat on it, the faster the Iron Born could be restrained from implementing their worst instincts and be saved from themselves.

However despite their wealth and power, and despite their intelligence and good intentions, this attempt to hold back the rebellion until Theon Greyjoy returned would fail and soon enough the Greyjoys would indeed rebel again.

Chapter 25: The Tournament of Tears and The Dark Tides of War

Chapter Text

Excerpt from Maester Tytos's "The Great Houses of the North, A Recent History"

The Boltons were an ancient and powerful house of the North who once ruled as Red Kings from the Dreadfort , their ancestral seat. At their height of power their land reached from the Last River and the White Knife to the Sheepshead Hill. They were proud of their First Men Heritage and Faith, and s ome Red Kings allied with Marsh Kings to defend against southron invaders.

After the Long Night , the Red Kings were bitter rivals of the Kings of Winter , the Starks of Winterfell . The Boltons achieved some successes against the Starks, with Kings Royce II and Royce IV burning Winterfell. However the last Red King, Rogar the Huntsman , submitted to Winterfell when the coming of the Andals to Westeros was beginning. Indeed the most famous act of fealty from this era is when the Boltons aided King Theon Stark , the Hungry Wolf, to defeat Argos Sevenstar and his Andals in the Battle on the Weeping Water, with 5 sons of House Bolton dying to defend the King . The land where they died being given the name 5 brothers and the ancient settlement built there still surviving today as a quaint small village, one which still celebrates the victory and House Bolton's valor and sacrifice each year...........

In the era of King Robert, at the end of the third century after Aegon's conquest House Bolton and its Lord were worried about their status. Though they had bent the knee the Bolton's never forgot their ancient crown and had led two great rebellions, and many minor ones against the Starks. Traditionally they were the second most powerful House in the North, historically only they could plausibly claim to rival the might of Winterfell. But now, after three centuries of peace under Targaryen rule, as the Starks of Winterfell built up their domains with the help of cows from Ib, new crops from Essos and the lands beyond the wall, and gold from the Direwolf mountains, the Boltons were no longer true rivals to the Starks. In terms of Men, Ships, Grain, Trade and Gold the influence and might of House Stark and Winterfell had grown above and beyond what their past generations could even imagine. And in this race the Boltons had simply not been able to keep up. Partially this was also due to the Starks also preventing the Boltons from growing too strong, connecting their settlements with stone roads like the rest of the north, but waiting for decades to build the gap between the Kingsroad and Dreadfort. Preventing the Boltons from opening their own bank and then using the Bank of Winterfell branch in Dreadfort to gain more influence in the Boltons own seat, etc.

As such the proud descendants of the Red Kings whose tales are still told today to scare children were feared by the Direwolves no longer. No more did the Stark of Winterfell stay awake at night, his mind consumed with thoughts of the Bolton plots. This is not to say the Starks were truly complacent of a possible threat, shadow wolves spies were still assigned to Bolton lands and all their dealing were reported to Winterfell. But both Winterfell and the Dreadfort recognized the balance of power had decisively shifted in favour of Winterfell, and that if need be Prince Rickard only had to come up with an excuse to wipe out the Bolton's. Winterfell's might and that of its most loyal vassals and cadet branches strong enough to withstand the disapproval of the other nobles to such a blatant power grab and attempt to remove a check on the wolves.

According to the written accounts and folk tales told of Lord Roose Bolton, the Lord of Dreadfort was mild-mannered, though remorseless and implacable. Among the Northern Lords he was considered to be one of the most cold and cunning, a title he accepted with pride. Lord Roose's personal motto like many lords of Dreadfort was "A peaceful land, a quiet people" with House Bolton upholding the laws they chose to enforce with diligence and consistency, and with few smallfolk brave enough to break the law. While Lord Roose and the Boltons were more feared than loved by their smallfolk, bannermen and vassals, all of them acknowledged him as an able administrator, a strong enough warrior and an excellent commander. When Winterfell raised all the armies of the North for the first time in near three centuries Lord Roose answered the call, and fought at the Battle of the Trident during Robert's Rebellion where had been put in charge of the left flank, delivering victory.

But he also showed his Houses cold reputation, for when Ser Barristan Selmy, seriously wounded, was brought before then Lord Robert Baratheon, Lord Roose counselled that they should kill him, flay and butcher him and then send parts of his body to the loyalist keeps on the Way to Kings Landing as a warning . Despite the fact that this was a course of action with which then Lord Rickard very much agreed with, then Lord Robert with the support of then Lord Jon Arryn ignored Lord Roose's suggestion and spared Ser Barristan's life, indeed Robert Baratheon sent his own maester to tend to the Kingsguard's wounds in explicit rejection of Lord Roose's suggestion.

After the death of his first wife during the rebellion after a miscarriage, Lord Roose was married to Bethany Ryswell, with whom he had a son Domeric and a daughter Barberry, with his new wife also dying after a miscarriage during her third pregnancy. While this left his own line in an unstable position the Boltons had enough cadet branches in the city of Dreadfort and town of Weeping water and its surrounding land that he did not feel the need to remarry. With this marriage to Lady Bethany, Lord Roose was able to create a Bolton-Ryswell-Dustin alliance, one which he would use to attempt to restrain the might of Winterfell. But soon as the years passed Lord Roose would only get more frustrated as his efforts failed overall, though he was not without victory with many Northern Nobles agreeing with him that the Starks were too keen on allying with the South and too close with the Crown. These charges levelled against the Starks by the Boltons was something which would be deemed delightfully ironic in the future.

According to the works of northern stewards and Maesters we know that in the years leading up to the Great Storm War Lord Roose was increasingly frustrated and cursed his ancestors for not striking when the Starks were more vulnerable such as during the early reign of Cregan Sword Swallower, as he and many others secretly called Lord Cregan the Old Man of the North, when House Starks numbers were less and their mainline almost on the verge of extinction. Or indeed he blamed himself for not acting in his own youth when the Starks were vulnerable after the death of Brandon Stark. Now however during the Great Storm War the lines of House Stark were secure with many sons bearing the Stark name.These frustrations of missed opportunities were compounded when the Starks were able to secure a pack of Direwolves, the first Winterfell Direwolves in centuries, with the Green men claiming all the Stark children had awakened as Wargs. This only gave the Starks more prestige in the North and strengthened their grip.

According to the records available to us as well as our own logical reasoning we can see that Lord Roose was worried that if something was not done soon then House Bolton would forever be lesser to the Starks, forever losing the chance of reclaiming their Crown, forever forced to accept kneeling to the wolves.

But this would change in the years before the Great Storm war began, as shown Maester William's excellent work "The Rebellions of House Bolton, a Bloody History" . As shown by the Maester with significant, albeit indirect and individually inconclusive, evidence the Boltons in these years probably received a new opportunity to claim the North. It is commonly accepted that Prince Tywin Lannister would begin a line of communication with Lord Roose in these years for, especially after the Ball of Madness, Prince Tywin wanted allies to restrain the Starks and their growing might in Westerosi politics. This would have been an obvious priority for the Lions as the risk of the Stark-Arryn-Gardner Alliance materialised and Prince Tywins dream of a Lannister king was threatened to have been made an empty victory, for what good is a King who is in truth nothing more than the Lord Paramount of the Crownlands? No doubt if Prince Tywin sought to restrain the Starks he would have decided the Boltons were the best tool for the task.

It was on the basis of this alleged relationship that Lord Roose would hatch his plan. It is believed that as the fires of the Battle of Kings Landing were extinguished and the Wildfyre of King Aerys II secured, the Dreadfort would secure a promise from Prince Tywin that the Crown would look favourably at elevating new and more loyal Princes of the North should the Starks fall. However while most accept this series of events there are significant detractors who point to many reasons why it was unlikely the Lions had anything to do with the Bolton plots. First and foremost is that there is no direct proof that House Bolton received any help from the Crown, the secondary reason was that this was a terrible gamble; To remove the wolves who were not at war with the Crown. After all even if the Bolton's succeeded, if it became know that the Lannisters had supported the overthrow of a Great House then the authority of the Crown would have shattered beyond repair. Furthermore the risk of failure hung over the mission, if the Starks survived and discovered the plot then the Lannister cause would have been lost as the forces of the North and the Vale would have marched on Kings Landing. As such many believe a pragmatic and intelligent man such as Prince Tywin would not have supported the Boltons, especially as his own life had been so defined by a revolt by the second strongest House in his own kingdom, a revolt which he and his family never forgave the Reynes for. But while we will never definitively know which side of the argument is correct, we do know for sure that in its quest to hold the North the backing of the Crown would have been valuable, if only for the reason they would have had less reason to worry about a southern army from the Vale marching on them, for the honor bound falcons probably would have accepted a Royal judgement on who should inherit Winterfell. This was no little aid, for unlike the past this army would likely be aided by House Reed which had married into the Starks and whose granddaughter was the Princess of the Vale.

That year as the Great Storm War raged Lord Roose would begin implementing a plot he had already been planning for years. One which would eschew the open battlefield where the Bolton's would lose, even if Houses Ryswell and Dustin joined with them. Instead this would be a plot hatched and implemented in the darkness, one which would be unseen by the wolves eyes and ears for they were deemed by the flayed man to be too blinded by their notions of Justice, Honour and Law. In the darkness the Boltons would remind the Starks and their allies that even after all these years, Their Blades Are Sharp.

Among the many drivers for the Bolton revolt one should not underestimate the centuries long desire for Dreadfort to seize the North. But one should also not ignore one of the true driving forces of the Rebellion, Barbrey Dustin, Formerly of House Ryswell, the Lady of Barrowtown, wife of William Dustin, younger daughter of Rodrik Ryswell the Lord of the Rills and sister to the Late Bethany Bolton the wife of Lord Roose Bolton.

Lady Barbrey was a woman who embodied the phrase, The Seven Hells hath no fury like a woman scorned

As a young woman she got to know Brandon Stark, the eldest son of Rickard Stark, who often rode to the Rills while being fostered at Barrowtown with old Lord Dustin. Infatuated with the heir of Winterfell, young Barbrey had an affair with Lord Brandon, who took her maidenhead. Lord Rodrik had hoped to wed his daughter to a Stark, but Lord Rickard refused the match, as he had already given his word to betrothed his eldest and Heir to Sarah Umber. Lord Rickard also rejected Lady Barbrey for his younger son Eddard who was betroth to Lady Marla of House Reed. In many a letter Lady Barbrey would claim that Lord Brandon did not want to wed Lady Sarah over her, and that the betrothal was the idea of Lady Lyarra Stark and Derek, Lord Rickard's maester at Winterfell. House Stark's records do not state if these allegations were true or if the idea was the initiative of Lord Rickard himself. As she got older Lady Barbrey was instead wed William Dustin, the young Lord of Barrowtown. But by then everyone knew who held her heart and she is said to have cried before the wedding ceremony and called out for Lord Brandon either before or at the bedding, sources differ at the exact time. Many would claim this grievance of being rejected by the Starks was the main factor in creating a lasting hatred for House Stark in her heart and would be the fire driving her treason.

The abduction of Lyanna Stark by Prince Rhaegar Targaryen led to the execution of Lord Brandon by King Aerys II at Harrenhal. Now as the Heir to the Lord of Winterfell, Lord Eddard returned to the North, while his father called for all the banners of the North for the first time in three centuries. Not yet a year into marriage, Lord William Dustin rode off to war against Lady Barbrey's objections who ,while greatly mournful for Lord Brandon's passing, declared with him dead she cared not for oaths to Winterfell nor House Stark's commands. Lord William despite the tensions between his wife and his liege fought bravely during the war, and he accompanied Lord Stark south to the Tower of Joy forming part of the Honour Guard for Lady Lyanna's bones after she died. It is said Lady Barbrey never forgave her husband for going south. Her hatred for House Stark grew after they were declared to be Princes of the North and while she found happiness, love and many children in her marriage with Lord William she never let go of the feeling of being cheated by the Starks, deeming it her stolen right, to be a Princess of the North. In the end House Dustin's involvement in the plot was driven primarily by Lady Barbrey. And while she alone held the great level of scorn and resentment for the Starks, she was able to secure the support of her husband and their children by filling their heads with dreams of more land as well as the right to all the gold the Starks sealed up in their vault. In the end the Dustin's, motivated by greed would ally with House Bolton. Though many sources, especially singers, would also claim that over the years Lord William Dustin had increasingly come to hate the Stark and resent his dead foster brother. And apparently Lord William felt that by extinguishing the Stark Line he would remove the final obstacle to receiving the entire heart and love of his wife.

The promise of gold and land was also the primary motivation for House Ryswell, though Lord Rodrik Ryswell also hated Prince Rickard for rejecting his daughters hand and also sought vengeance for the death of his son Mark Ryswell at the Battle of the Trident. Lord Rodrik Ryswell believed that had the Starks not indulged in their Southern Ambitions then there would have been no war and his eldest and favourite son would still be alive and well.

The plot hatched by the traitor houses was to use the upcoming tourney and nameday of Prince Robb Stark as an excuse to bring together the Starks and their most loyal bannermen in one location, striking while they were all gathered together and had their guards down during the feast in the Great Hall of Winterfell. After the massacre was complete the conspirators would send ravens across the realm naming the Former Bastard of Winterfell, Lord Jon Stark as the culprit. Declaring that he had tried to usurp the Winter Throne and the Starks died in this attempt. After this, presuming he survived the fighting, he would be given over to Lady Barbrey to torture to death for she had been greatly slighted that Jon Stark would lay claim to being the son of Brandon Stark despite not being of her womb. For only Lady Barbrey had the right to give birth to Lord Brandon's children in her mind. Furthermore the Traitor Lords would then use the backing of the Crown to maintain power over the North as the "legal" successors. In this endeavour they would use the marriage of Domeric Bolton to one of the Stark Princesses, who would be spared from the massacre, in order to circumvent the claim of Princess Darla Stark or any of her line, or indeed that of House Snowstark and Karstark who had married Prince Rickards sisters. The conspirators were also confident that due to Princess Darla's embrace of the Faith of the Seven, and the bloody history between the North and the Vale, the surviving northern nobility would indeed back the Boltons over the Arryns.

After Lord Domeric took over Winterfell and become Warden and Prince of the North, a second son of his line would become Lord of the Dreadfort. This was apparently a major point of contestation between the Traitor Lords, for Lord Roose wanted to make the Dreadfort the ruling seat of the North. However Lord Dustin and Ryswell counselled him true when they told Lord Roose that the Keep and City of Winterfell was too established into the fabric of the North for it to be ruled from Dreadfort. Furthermore keeping Winterfell as the ruling seat would only give the future Prince Domeric more legitimacy. As part of the preparations all three houses would bring larger than usual guards and households when visiting while large numbers of disguised sell swords and men at arms were slipped into the city itself. In addition House Dustin would bring their own band of Singers and musicians, but these would be disguised sellswords who would be armed with crossbows. As the Tournament began and Prince Robb's name day approached they would receive both good and terrible news. The Good news was that a delegation from the Iron Islands was at Winterfell, providing more culprits for them to blame. The Terrible news was that Prince Rickon Stark was not present in the Keep, he had been visiting his mothers family in the neck and a fever had kept him in Greentown with his uncle Lord Howland. Further this was compounded by knowledge that Lord Benjen Hardstark, youngest son of Prince Rickard Stark had not brought his children Lord Cregan and Lady Sansa to Winterfell, as he had in previous years for other such tournaments. This time Lord Benjen had left them beyond the wall in Hardhome as they had just visited Winterfell a few moons ago and more importantly Lord Benjen wanted to test his son's ability to rule, his wife and daughter staying behind to give Lord Cregan company and support while Lord Benjen came to visit his other son.

This was a disaster for the conspirators since even one surviving Stark son was too much, much less two for despite the Hardstark name Lord Cregan had a strong claim to Winterfell, stronger than even the Stark Princesses who were women. To strike now but also to leave these sons of House Stark alive would mean their and their House's end. Indeed it was only going to be the knowledge that the Bolton-Ryswell-Dustin alliance held the last of the Starks that would have kept the North from rising up against it post the massacre and accept the royal decree elevating the Boltons. Worse, even if they were able to send ships to Hardhome to take care of Lord Cregan, they could search the Neck unencumbered for a decade and would still not find Greywater watch. And the Traitor Lords doubted they would get a full decade to search. It seemed now it was to only be a regular tourney, though some supposedly still argued for action, and so as the name day came closer a very quite and heated debate took place on whether or not to go through with the plan. Only it turns out their efforts on deciding the best course of action were wasted, for the plot was discovered by the shadow wolves who were getting suspicious of the strange reports they were getting and were able to capture and make one of the sellswords talk. Unfortunately the shadow wolves were not discreet enough for the conspirators men had been alerted. Making a decision which would be debated till the end of time, that day, one day before Prince Robbs nameday across Winterfell, in both the Keep and the City, the Shadow wolves raised the alarms and deployed the Stark Guards and rangers with orders to capture the Boltons, Ryswell and Dustin's and all their men, choosing to make everyone alert to the danger rather than risk the knowledge not spreading and cause people, especially the Starks, to be taken unaware in ambushes.

This alarm is raised during the day when no one is drunk, the conspirators are not in place and because of the tourney everyone is armed with at least some sort of blade, dulled though it may be. Instead of easy pickings it would be a true battle. However despite knowing this, despite knowing of their very low odds, instead of surrendering or fleeing the Ryswell, Bolton and Dustin men, all as one, without needing to plan, needing to debate, needing to decide, all with the desperation of men who have nothing more to lose begin fighting.

The ringing of the alarms rather than playing the Rains of Castamere would be the start of the Tournament of Tears.

While accounting for all the chaos and its exact timeline is impossible, for the massacre of the Tournament of Tears was chaos incarnate with no single narrative, what is agreed is that the massacre lasted for about an hour or so before being suppressed. By tradition the first casualty of the massacre is said to be Lord Robert Dustin, brother of Lord William. He was in the Great Hall when the alarm started and is said to have unsheathe his sword in shock, only to use it to block an attack by his nephew Lord Torrhen Dustin, Heir to the Barrowlands, when he attacked and tried to capture Princess Arya. As the loyal men in the hall start fighting the conspirators uncle and nephew battle in the centre of the Hall. At his uncles command Lord Torrhen pretends to surrender, but when his uncle lowers his guard he pulls out his knife and stabs Lord Robert in the neck, killing him and becoming a Kinslayer. Outraged by the act James Dustin, Robert Dustin's eldest son would find new energy to quickly overpower and kill his previous opponent, a man of arms of no note, before fighting his cousin, holding him back while Princess Arya escaped, guarded by her tutor Syrio Forel.

Once this occurred Lord Torrhen would make his own retreat as he heard the angry voice of Greatjon Umber, causing him to flee the Great Hall, leaving behind a much wounded Lord James to weep over his fathers corpse. Despite his injuries and the difference in skill level to his detriment he would have gone after his cousin in vengeance if not secured by Greatjon Umbers men. While this is occurring a group of Ryswell and Dustin men-at-arms, lead by Lady Barbrey herself, are able to make their way to the Stark Family wing. There they massacre the resistance put up by the Stark guards and are able to break into the Stark Family rooms one by one. They continue searching throughout the massacre until they realise someone is in the nursery. After nearly half an hour or so of effort and with the aid of axes which they were able to procure, the conspirators are able to break the thick iron enforced door of the nursery, where they find and secure Princess Lyarra, the matriarch of House Stark and her youngest Grandchild, Prince Torrhen whose throat is slit immediately by Lady Barbrey as Princess Lyarra cries and begs for mercy for her grandchild. At the same time one of the men kills Prince Torrhen's Direwolf pup. Lady Barbrey would also then behead Princess Lyarra and according to the testimony of her men at arms would declare the murder to be an execution. The sentence to be death, carried out in the name of Domeric Bolton, Prince of the North and Lord of Winterfell. The 'crime' Princess Lyarra would be found 'Guilty' for would be taking Lord Brandon away from Lady Barbrey, for in Lady Barbrey's mind it was Princess Lyarra who rejected her had twice over and Prince Rickard was only the instrument of her humiliation.

However it is not just the main keep which saw fighting though it would be the location for most number of the deaths by a small margin. In the tournaments practice field are the Traitor Lords, Lord Roose, Lord Rodrik, Lord William and their men. Upon hearing the alarms ring and seeing a couple of Stark guards riding in at full speed towards them while shouting warnings about treason to the rest of the assembled Lords, the Men-at-arms form a defensive line and prepare to attack those Loyal to the Starks. While the Traitor Lords have no horses of their own for these were the melee grounds, present there also are the Dustin crossbow wielding men-at-arms who are able to break the Calvary charge heading in their way. The Boltons would quickly go on the offensive as they realise their current advantage of having live steel and crossbows would not last for long. As the tournament ground starts seeing actual combat and actual deaths the Bolton party change their tactics as they realise Princess Karla, Lord Jon Stark and Lyan Hardstark are also present on the grounds. They quickly turn their attention to the wolves, seeking to capture Princess Karla and kill the Wolf Lords. As the Starks escape the men loyal to Winterfell form a defensive line between them and the Traitor Lords. And in a moment now forever recorded in song and etched into the collective memory of the North, Lord Jeor Stonestark, Lord of Stoneport, would say the infamous command to the Loyal men of the North, the command his own son chose to have chiselled onto his grave "They Shall Not Pass!". The Stand at the Tourney Ground, where 30 loyal men held off the Traitor Lords is a tale of heroism and valour, one which all Northerners seek pride in. The subject of countless songs and retellings. For it exemplified that even in the face of breaking the most sacred laws of guest rights, in the face of the horrific crime of kinslaying, of dishonourable conduct and of treachery the true men of the North kept their honour high and did their duty. But of course, it is a tragic tale and while they would be able to delay the Traitor Lords The 30 Loyal Men would do so at the cost of their own lives. Their act would not only allow for the Starks to escape but by tying down such a large portion, some say even half, of the Traitor Lords men, The 30 Loyal Men would also be responsible for saving many other lives as well. After the Stand at the Tourney Grounds was lost, the Traitor Lords led by Lord Bolton would chose to go into the main Keep, and would seek to personally hunt down the Stark Children.

On their way into the Main Keep of Winterfell, the Traitor Lords would be ambushed by a group of servants, they would use boiling cooking oil and improvised slings as their weapons, attacking from the floors above. The traitor lords would dispatch Lord Hans Ryswell and his men to deal with the servants. But Lord Hans would find that he would not catch these loyal servants for standing in the way and giving them time to escape would be Lady Anna, younger sister of Lady Elsa, the Ice Queen of Hardhome and also their nephew Lord Olaf. Despite being outnumbered 5 to one the two free folk would emerge victorious in the battle, but at the cost of their own lives. Lord Olaf would be beheaded defending his aunt from Lord Hans who Lady Anna would strike down at the cost of her own life, for to deliver the killing blow she would willingly fall on his sword. Dying Free and Proud.

Around the same time other casualties would include the Lady Daria Mormont, Formerly of House Glover, Wife of Lord Jorah Mormont who is killed trying to save their only child Lord David Mormont, Heir to Bear Island. Unfortunately despite escaping that particular attack as far as we can tell, Lord David would still die, killed some distance away by a perpetrator whose identity is lost to time, his body would be found by Lady Maege Mormont his great aunt, her screams of sorrow so loud it is claimed they were heard all over Winterfell. A statue of Lady Daria and Lord David still stand in the harbour of Bear Island till this day.

Lord Domeric Bolton and his hunting party, the second largest after the main host belonging to the Traitor Lords would quickly move through the outer keeps, slaughtering servants, Green men and stewards, most killed with little force, unorganized as they were for even with the alarm as few could contemplate the very idea of such a deep treachery and as such were not on guard against their fellow Northmen. Among those they killed would be Ladies Jessica Polder and Joan Cassel, who were scalped by Lord Domeric. This reign of terror would be stopped by Prince Rickard and his men, but not before Prince Rickard received a heavy wound which would cause him much pain for the rest of his life.

At this point the fighting is dying down, by now Lady Barbrey has been captured by Stark men securing the Great Keep, word has come from the city of Winterfell that a curfew has been implemented and the entire City has been secured by the City Watch who slaughtered the traitor Lords men without mercy. The outer keeps have also been checked and secured. Prince Eddard and Lord Benjen, along with their loyal vassals such as Greatjon Umber and Rickard Karstark would lead men to find the Traitor Lords and sweep them from their home. In one of the towers Princess Marla Stark, less than a tenth of an hour before her husbands forces can come aid her, is killed saving the life of her nephew Lord Jojen Reed, taking an knife meant for the young boy while allowing him to escape down some stairs, blocking the path with her own body and attacking the Traitor Lords men with her bare hands. Meanwhile a floor or possibly two below, accounts differs, not even knowing his mother had died just above his head, Prince Brandon is forced to jump from a window to escape his attackers. So close was Prince Eddard that he would end up seeing his son jump, his screams of horror at the scene useless. The fall would render Prince Brandon unconscious for three days and would end up costing him the ability to walk in one leg, the Prince required to use canes and leg braces for the rest of his life.

The Heir to Winterfell Prince Robb would lead his own party, and after coming across the Traitor Lords would attempt to fight of Lord Roose and his men to save his home and family. And while Prince Robbs actions were heroic, he and his men would soon be nearly overpowered, only to escape thanks to the intervention of two adult direwolves, parents to the direwolf pups given to the Stark children of Winterfell by the grace of the Old Gods. The beasts would live up to their fierce and legendary reputation, killing many fully armoured men before succumbing to their wounds. Their deaths announced to all in the keep by the howls of agony and sorrow of their pups bonded to the Stark Children and the other pack members who had come south with them.

Soon the main Stark force led by Prince Eddard would find the Traitor Lords who would be secured after a brief battle.With this the rebellion is crushed and the Winterfell is secured, bringing an end to the Tournament of Tears. We have accounts of fierce fighting all over the keep, and some accounts would state that some three hundred people had died including maids, servants, guards, sellswords, children and high lords and ladies alike.

The North and Westeros at large is shocked as raven and messengers carry the news across the land. In fact the Tournament of Tears remains one of the most infamous events, unique in the horror it inspired, even when compared to the rest of the North's long and bloody history. It would be the inspiration for countless works of art and would be an automatic stand in for a terrible atrocity. It would stain the ancient custom of guest right, with safety and security when inviting guests to ones home no longer being considered guaranteed. Not a single noble family of the North would be spared from death and tears if one counts cousins, and the Northern nobility certainly did. That day sons would weep for fathers, fathers would find themselves outliving their sons, the young cried out for loved ones, crying even more when they did not answer back, mothers would be dosed of so much milk of the poppy that they were at risk of dying but even as they lost control of their speech and could no longer open their eyes they did not let go of their children's corpses. The direwolves would howl their sorrow through the night and in the city of Winterfell many of the Smallfolk would bar their doors in fear, others would create a near stampede to the many Godswood's of Winterfell as the smallfolk begged from protection from these godless men, for trust had been shattered for the North in way that we cannot even begin to contemplate. The massacre would ruin the reputation of House Bolton, Dustin and Ryswell and all those who still bore the Ryswell and Dustin name would enjoy scorn for generations to come. The Dustin's would in particular enjoy the shame of being branded as Kinslayer's as well. Even the smallfolk of these lands would not escape the brutal reputation and would find ill treatment if they traveled outside these lands; Both the Nobles and Smallfolk of these lands were treated with antipathy and disgust by Northerners and many Westerosi alike in the immediate aftermath, even if they personally had nothing to do with the Tournament of Tears, as was true for the majority of both the nobility and the smallfolk.

As word spreads there is chaos across the North. For the second time since the Targaryen conquest the Armies of the North are summoned, the Northern Nobility raised hosts which soon marched on the rebel seats. In the Shivering and Sunset seas the fleets of the North are dispatched and the Weeping town and Darkport are put under blockade. Afraid of retaliation many villages in the lands of the Traitor Lords refuse to let outsiders come in and begin keeping a constant watch, many accounts state that they would prostate themselves out of fear when the armies of Winterfell approached, lest they suffer for their lieges crime. Also across these villages the smallfolk, merchants and minor nobles would turn on one another as accusations would fly of people knowing about the crime. Many families of the Bolton-Ryswell-Dustin guards and stewards would be attacked by fearful Smallfolk and surrendered. That is not to say there was not any resistance, there was, but the Nobility showed no mercy. If a village defied orders from the armies of Winterfell it was put to the sword down to the last babe, as word spread the last of the already limited resistance died. As the various Keeps were put under sieges the forces within knowing that defeat was inevitable would surrender. Across the north all with the name Ryswell, Dustin and Bolton, all their servants and their families, as well as all three the Maesters of the seats in question are captured and sent to Winterfell for their trial under heavy guard. Many accounts noted that even the nobility was not allowed to ride, transported either on carts or forced to walk, a sign of just how much scorn and hatred they were held in.

In the end the Great Judgment of Winterfell Regarding the Unforgivable Offenses Committed by the Treasonous Lords Vassal , more commonly known as the Judgment of Tears is enacted after brief trials. The trails are not of much note for none could deny their guilt. Indeed they would take barely more time than the massacre itself.

The Judgement of Tears would enact the following:

• The three mainlines of House Bolton, House Ryswell and House Dustin are executed without exception,
• Lady Barbrey Dustin before being executed has her eyes, ears, fingers, toes, breasts, ass, tongue and womanly bits ripped out by hot pincers. Her children and family are forced to watch.
• All existing disputes in terms of lands, rents and taxes between the traitor houses and other nobles are found in favour of the others Houses, without exception and regardless of the merits. Though no new dispute is allowed to be raised
• House Bolton is ended in its entirety, its cadet lines and bastard lines are extinguished. Its women executed and its sons either executed or sent to the wall. Its lands and seats would be sized by the Starks and broken up into a dozen smaller lordships. Though House Stark retained control of the Dreadfort and City of Weeping water for now
• Two of the new Lordships created from the Bolton Lands was given to House Mormont, as compensation for the death of Lady Daria and Lord David. They would be given to two of the younger daughters of Maege Mormont
• Lord Henry Dustin, second son of Lord Robert is made Lord of the Barrowlands for his elder brother James would die of his wounds received in the battle against his cousin Torrhen Kinslayer, Their actions in saving Princess Arya and staying true against the mainlines treachery meant the new mainline of House Dustin would receive the least amount of punishment.
• The main cadet branch of House Ryswell, The Ryswells of Darkport, who are able to prove that they had no role in their Kin's crime are given the Ryswell mainlines seats and lands. However they would lose the northern third of it, which would be used, along with the Bolton Lands, to compensate the families of those who died in the Tournament of Tears. Its fertile fields would become home to many dozens of new masterly families, the northern equivalent to small plot owning landed knights
• All the men-at arms, servants, stewards and other confidants of the three mainlines are either executed or sent to the Wall.

As the news of the Tournament of Tears reaches the rest of the realm, they are equally as shocked as the North. For even in the south such an event would earlier have been deemed simply unthinkable. The event would also stir the concerns of all the Great Houses, both those who had remained neutral and especially those who were at war. In the months that followed spies and spymasters across the realm would work extra diligently to discover any similar plots. Part of the consequence of the Tournament of Tears was also a purge of the shadow wolves and their informers, many of whom, particularly those who served in Dustin, Ryswell and Bolton lands would be forced to go to the wall as punishment for their failure. In the last years of his life, Prince Rickard would leave the running of the North to his son and grandson, and instead rebuild the shadow wolves into an actually effective spy network. Realizing that like the Starks and the rest North even their spies had become complacent, though it was their duty not to be so.

Another consequence of the Tournament of Tears, though less recognised at the time was that the Greyjoys realised that there was a possibility that the heir and eldest grandson of Rodrik the reader were dead and thus he was vulnerable. This therefore hastened the already inevitable decision to rebel from the Iron Throne, but doing so now while the Harlaw's were weakened.

A much more important factor in his decision to rebel though was the fact that at this point Lord Balon Greyjoy had become much more certain of the support of the rest of the Iron Islands in starting another Rebellion. For at the start he was worried that after the disaster the last Greyjoy Rebellion was he would find no support outside of his own Court, or even worse the Iron Born would throw their support to someone else to become King, someone without the taint of defeat. Now after many moons of actually preparing for the revolt and talking to Lords and captains from all the islands he became secure in knowing that he had plenty of support, much stronger and deeper than he could ever have believed. Furthermore as the reports came of actual fleet and men-at-arm numbers pledging themselves to Balon, rather than just vassals paying lip service, the Lord Reaper of Pyke became much more confident that he could easily shrug off the consequences of the Harlaws defying him, once again welcoming their challenge now that his odds were much better.

Thus now lacking the fear of the Harlaws which had defined his actions just a month or so prior, within a moon of news of the Tournament of Tears reaching the Iron Islands, Balon Greyjoy would have his brother Aeron Damphair assemble a Kingsmoot on Old Wyk and after being confirmed as the successful candidate, was declared the King of the Iron Islands for the second time. After his second coronation with a new driftwood crown King Balon would hosts his lords and captains in the Great Hall of Pyke and announce his plans to Reave the Riverland's and Westerlands.

These lands were chosen for despite the Tournament of Tears at Winterfell the armies and navies of the North were still intact and the Lands of the Reach were untouched from any of the fighting, and indeed from such plots like the ones the North was plagued with. Though unlike in the first Greyjoy rebellion King Balon would not have the element of surprise. For even before he was crowned, before news first spread in the Iron Islands that a Kingsmoot had been called on Old Wyk, the spies on the islands sent word to the spymasters of Westeros that the iron Islands were preparing for war. The Lord of Westeros were well aware that the Iron Born may use the chaos on the mainland to their advantage to begin reaving and raiding, and had been vigilant ever since the conflict began. As such Lord Varys would alert the Small Council in Kings Landing, as well as the Westerland Lords, well before the first strike came. But it was not just the Crown who would be alerted, word would be sent by spies and traders to all the major noble seats of the Sunset sea, and those who had no spies in the Iron Islands would hear it from their peers as the word was quickly spread up and down the sunset coast by all nobles, any disagreement on who should sit the Iron Throne or any past slights or insults forgotten in face of the common threat of the Iron Born.

Even before the Kingsmoot was over, the Realm would begin preparing for war with the Iron Born. As such when the Iron Born sent proclamations of independence, all the Lords who could smell the salt of the Sunset Sea or hear the crashing of its waves had already turned their attention to the West as they once again took up arms against their ancient foes who had plagued them for untold generations.

The records that we have from the Royal court and the letters of Prince Loren to his younger brother which are part of the Lannister Archives, paint a Royal Court paralysed by fear after the revelation of the Tournament of Tears, the Queen would to the surprise and protest of many at court would appoint Lord Peytr Baelish, a Vale Lord married to Lysa of House Tully, as the Queens spymaster. The Queen gave him gold to ferret out any plots against the Crown and her son, distrustful as she was of Lord Varys the Master of whisperers. In his letters Prince Loren would also state that he suspected that his father was behind the Tournament of Tears. Prince Loren believed that in the mind of his father Prince Tywin, while the massacre was distasteful and had the risk of tarring the Lannister name and the Crown's reputation, the reward was very much worth it. For a North ruled by a House Bolton would be a safe, secure and most importantly loyal North. However distasteful the action to bring this about would be, however dangerous the precedent set by elevating a House which had climbed over the corpses of dead liege lords, killed by said vassals under guest rights.

As mentioned many agree with the line of thought naming the Lannisters and the Crown as, at the very least, passive supporters of the Boltons. As demonstrated again by Maester William's excellent work "The Rebellions of House Bolton, a Bloody History" before the war and especially before the Ball of Madness, Prince Tywin was likely comfortable to let the Starks continue on as they had, a stance supported by his statement in the Godswood Council. But it is likely that in later years his view had changed however, for the Starks had shown a surprising willingness to end their isolation and get more involved with the Realms affairs. This willingness was shown by the Stark-Arryn alliance and the possible Stark-Arryn-Gardner Alliance. Both of whom threatened the power of the Crown and most importantly the primacy of House Lannister. With the successful removal of the Starks however, in one swoop the Stark-Arryn alliance and Stark-Arryn-Gardner alliance would be destroyed, shifting the balance of power to being more favourable to House Lannister for even a Arryn-Gardner alliance would not be a threat of the same magnitude. Furthermore Prince Tywin is known to be worried about maintaining the unity of Westeros and the authority of the Crown, deeming the possibility of secession as a threat. In this supporting the Boltons would provide a huge advantage for unlike the Starks who could break away from the Crown at any moment and reclaim their lost crown, with the new House Bolton of Winterfell shorn of any legitimacy outside Royal Decree, Winterfell and the North would have had to remain under the Crown for generations upon generations, until the Northern Lords forgot the Starks and House Bolton built its own legitimacy through time. All this was time for the Crown and House Lannister to find a way to more closely bind the North to the Rest of the Realm. However despite these benefits we will never know if Prince Tywin actually supported the Boltons or not. In any case House Stark survived the Tournament of Tears and Prince Tywin was made to focus his attention to the war against the Baratheon-Tully's, but it is doubtful he ever stopped watching the North, it is known he would not forget the larger threat to House Lannister's ascendance to the pinnacle of power that was the Stark-Arryn-Garner Alliance.

Chapter 26: The Krakens War fills the Sea with Blood and Tears

Chapter Text

In the Great Storm War, the War of the Stags led to the Ravens War, but the Ravens War did not truly lead to the Krakens War, as the third phase of the Great Storm war was called. Rather, in its motivations, key commanders and theatre it was almost an independent conflict, centered as it was on the Iron Islands. That is not to say it was not an integral part of the Great Storm War, far from it. The Kraken War would be the background to some of the most infamous events of the Great Storm War, and here in this conflict would be sown the seeds of death, harvested in the coming years. Almost all that we know of the war when dealing with matters of the Iron Islands themselves comes from the records of House Harlaw due to the Iron Born disdain for literacy, which has always posed a issue of what is true and false, accurate or exaggerated but the following is the generally agreed upon account, collaborated where possible with the records and corresponding events of the mainland and the few maester accounts from the other houses which were created and ,more importantly, survived.

The Krakens war's start is traditionally marked by the Kingsmoot on Old Wyk where Lord Balon Greyjoy was crowned King of the Iron Islands once again. As ravens flew across Westeros announcing the independence of the Iron Islands for the second time in the same generation, the Realm already made alert to the danger by their own spies started finishing their preparations. Indeed it was only this alertness which allowed the Lannister and Farman fleets from preventing a repeat of the first Greyjoy rebellion when they fought off an Iron Born raid on Lannisport. In the Riverland's as news of the Kingsmoot came the Baratheon-Tully-Mallister-Blackwood Host would be split into two. With the Mallister and Blackwood armies quickly marching to home to defend their lands whilst the Tully-Baratheon Host stays at the Inns of the Crossroads, lest the Lannisters use this to their advantage and try and seize the Riverland's.

But they need not be worried too much of this happening. For after sending a raven to Kings Landing to notify his father Prince Tywin, Prince Loren would immediately lead a large force of Westermen back home upon receiving the news, waiting not even for the three or four days a reply would take. Most accounts state that Prince Loren took some 2/3 of the Lannister Host in the Riverland's back home. Meaning that Lord Kevin ,who had been tasked to hold Harrenhal by his nephew, had a host of less than 10,000. This was a Host fewer in number than he had led to the Riverland's at the start of the War, and one which doomed the Lannister to just hold Harrenhal for they no longer had the numbers to overwhelm the Baratheon-Tully Host on an open field. However it was not just Prince Loren who took the initiative. Realising they needed to defend the Westerlands unless they wanted their war effort to collapse Prince Tywin would send a delegation led by Lord Damon Marbrand to Pentos to secure sell sails. They are then to take these sell sails to Lannisport to defend the Westerlands, and if possible they are to attempt to subdue the Iron Islands and return it back to the Crowns control.

In the Reach Highgarden also has been preparing, The Fleet at Seagarden has already been put on high alert and the Redwynes have also prepared their fleet, the single largest fleet in the Seven Kingdoms other than the Royal Fleet. Prince Garland makes Lord Randyll Tarly, Lord of Horn Hill, the finest military commander of the Reach, the Lord Commander of the Reach's Hosts and is placed in charge of organizing the land defense against the Iron Born. Along with the sons of House Gardner Lord Randyll is also aided in this by his own son and heir Lord Dickon Tarly who is by now married to Lady Desmera, Formerly of House Redwyne and niece of Prince Garland.

After the failed attempt to reave the City of Lannisport the captains of the Iron Islands are divided. For while Lannisport would indeed be the single greatest treasure they could possibly reave, the window of opportunity to do so was rapidly closing. Not only had the Westerland fleets repelled their attack, the Iron Born knew that the Lannisters are sure to send back reinforcements soon, bolstering the city defences.

King Balon uses the failed first attempt to reave the Westerlands to implement his original plan, which had been unpopular as it was not lucrative enough for the captains. For the Kraken King wanted nothing more than to reave the Riverland's and Seaguard, despite it providing much less treasure and fewer beautiful women to take as saltwives. The reason for this move was that King Balon did not seek loot as much as he sought vengeance for the Mallister's and Riverlanders for killing his eldest son. Turning away from Lannisport, King Balon Greyjoy planned two main strikes for his invasion. He sends his brother Prince Victarion with half the rebuilt Iron Fleet to seize Blackpool. He also sends his daughter and preferred heir Princess Asha Greyjoy with most of their men and the other half of their ships to take Seaguard. Despite the captains and his own brother Victarion protesting at putting a woman, an inexperienced woman at that, in charge of the main force King Balon is unmoved. For he needs his daughter to win and bring back not just treasure and the heads of the Mallister's, but also prestige. Indeed unless Princess Asha was able to use this war to make her own name, her uncles and their Iron Born nobility would definitely challenge Princess Asha Greyjoys claim to the Seastone chair.

Not sailing with the Iron Fleet, and also absent during the attempted reaving of Lannisport are the Harlaws of Ten Towers or any of their vassals for Rodrik the Reader would have nothing to do with the war, especially not when his son, grandson and nephew were guests of the Starks and as such vulnerable to retaliation should the Harlaw name be associated with this war. Of course this was also a very convenient excuse for Lord Rodrik who wished to preserve his strength while his rivals wasted theirs.

Unlike Lannisport which was guarded by the Farman and Lannister fleets, Blackpool and Seaguard were much less powerful navally. As such both towns decide to fight on land rather than attempt to meet the Iron Born at sea. The City watch and peasant levies would defend their home as both towns would come under siege from the Iron Born, who used this time to reave and pillage the Riverland's sunset coast. However the sieges are lifted soon enough when in a few sennights time when reinforcements arrive. The Mallister and Blackwood armies soon attack and drive out the Iron Born from their land and break the siege. And while victorious, the Blackwood's and Mallister's would exit the war at this point for all intents and purposes. The need to stay defend their lands and rebuild meant they were unable to send hosts to aid the Baratheon-Tully forces.

With the Iron Born driven out of the Riverland's the Greyjoys would be blamed for the disaster. By this time the Host led by Prince Loren had also returned to the Westerland, closing the opportunity to reave the Westerlands while it was still undermanned and less defended. The Lannister Host is split up and used to reinforce the whole coast with Prince Loren personally taking control of the defense of Lannisport. In the mean time James Harlaw and Black Rodrick return from the North with Theon Greyjoy in turn. They would return without alliances or marriages, but are not disappointed too much for to be able to leave the North with their heads still attached to their bodies after the Greyjoys rebelled again was difficult enough.

According to the letters of Lord James Harlaw the first action of Prince Theon when he returns home after over 15 years is to confront his father and sister on the fact that they rebelled while he was still in the custody of the Starks, something which had caused not small controversy among the Iron Born themselves. As it was, only his cousins pleading and the affection of the Stark children had spared him for Prince Eddard's blade, a blade which his family must have known should have severed his neck when they decided to rebel. Further Prince Theon was angry that it had been his mothers family and not his own who had actually made the attempt at bringing him back home after all these years.

It would be his sister who would dismiss him stating according to the Harlaw records "Five and Ten years a Wolf and Greenlander, and you land here and think to question us and prince about the islands, but you know nothing and no one. Why should we or the men under our command care that you live or die?" and when Prince Theon would protest "I am your brother and their lawful prince." his sister would dismiss the fact by retorting "Aye by the laws of the green lands, you might be both. But we make our own laws here, or have you forgotten? Also you are no Kraken for who has heard of a Kraken who cannot sail?, neither are you a captain, indeed you are no Iron Born but a soft Greenlander. Run away from here "brother" lest the we have to remind you of the consequences of fighting those who have salt in their veins"

Whatever retort Prince Theon would have made to that was lost to time when King Balon would tell his last son "No son of mine would bedeck himself like a whor* and whine like a child. It is as I feared. The Greenlanders have made you soft, and the Starks have made you theirs. My only regret is that the Starks did not chop of your neck so you would not be an obstacle to your sister. Go, go before your presence makes me a Kinslayer. I give you this one warning for my weak hearted rock wife. Go and know that I have no more sons, they all died a long time ago"

That day the relationship between King Balon and Princess Asha with their last son and brother would break. Prince Theon would be taken by his cousin to Harlaw where he would be reunited with his mother Queen Alannys who welcomed him with open arms and tears of joy. His uncle would also have his captains teach him how to sail and fight like an Iron Born. Prince Theon would quickly find a home in Harlaw, the island which was closest to the mainland of Westeros in both distance and culture. It is also during this time that many speculate that Prince Theon was brought into the Harlaw plot.

Over the next few months, as the Iron Born raids are repelled again from both the Riverland's and Westerlands, and are prevented from conducting more reaving without being confronted by mainland armies and fleets, the Iron Born captains would grow more frustrated with the lack of treasure for their gains were much lower than what their songs told of. This frustration would grow to even greater heights when sell sails, many of whom the Iron Born captains had fought besides in the endless wars of the Free cities would arrive in the sunset sea, greatly increasing Iron Born casualties at sea for the sell sail companies were well acquainted with Iron Born tactics and knew how to counter them.

Soon word comes of increasing unrest in the Greenland. Then some time after that, one day without warning, King Balon falls to his death while crossing one of the bridges of Pyke during a storm. The very next day his younger brother, Euron Greyjoy, who had been exiled by his broter returns to Pyke and claims the Seastone Chair and with it Kingship of the Iron Islands. When Lord Sawane Botley objects to Euron's actions as King Balon had named his daughter heir, Euron Greyjoy rewarded this loyalty by having Sawane drowned in a cask of seawater, so he may serve King Balon in the afterlife.

When King Balon's youngest brother, Aeron Greyjoy, learns of the king's death and Euron assuming the Throne while initiating drowned men on Great Wyk, he calls a Kingsmoot to be held on the holy isle of Old Wyk, as Nagga's Hill was where the High Kings of the Iron Islands were chosen in antiquity and where King Balon himself was crowned by a Kingsmoot of captains and Lords. Aeron's fellow priests of the Drowned God spread word across the Iron Islands.

At Ten Towers, Rodrik Harlaw, who had been invited as Lord of Harlaw, tells his household that the last true kingsmoot, ignoring the election of Vickon Greyjoy as the first Lord Paramount of the Iron Islands, where the Lords and captains actually had a true choice on the matter was held four thousand years according to Archmaester Haereg or two thousand years according to Maester Denestan, depending on how you interpret the records on whether the Captains and Lords were actually free to vote as they wished.

As such Rodrik the Reader believes it is a done deal in favor of Euron, in the way King Balons Kingsmoot was always going to crown Balon Greyjoy. That night in the Great Hall of Ten Towers Lord Rodrik states to his Court that he and his people would not be fighting in Euron's folly and that he does not want to sail to Old Wyk. The next day Asha Greyjoy shows up at Ten Towers. While the words are lost, we know she had come to convince Lord Rodrik to back her claim to the Seastone Chair based on his blood ties to her, for to have the backing of Harlaw would give her a strong position. However we also know that later in the Great Hall during dinner Lord Rodrik would claim "You are not Lanny's daughter, you are Balon's Daughter. I have only one Greyjoy as kin, my nephew Theon, for there is indeed Harlaw blood in him. If you persist in your folly, well, both you and I will find out your tragic fate soon enough." But he ultimately agrees to go the Kingsmoot in order to protect his niece when she makes her claim, after his sister Queen Alanny's begs him.

At Old Wyk, Prince Victarion Greyjoy sails to Nagga's Cradle with most of the Iron Fleet, whose sole command he has assumed ever since his niece Princess Asha had fled. Men from every isle sail to Old Wyk for the kingsmoot; According to the records of Lord Rodrik Harlaw we know it was well attended and that many would spend good chunks of gold and large chucks of beef to try and win support. Prince Victarion provides a feast for half a hundred famous captains on the night before the kingsmoot. It was a this feast that Princess Asha Greyjoy offers to share rule with her uncle and serve as his Hand of the King, but Prince Victarion declines.

For the second time that year Prince Aeron Damphair leads the ceremonial council at the ruined bones of the Grey King's Hall on Nagga's Hill. Commoner men crowd together at the knoll's base, with women and children behind them. As the captains make their way up the slope, each candidate who desires to be king is supported by three champions. As happened in King Balons Kingsmoot and Coronation Gylbert Farwynd, Lord of the Lonely Light, comes first as a candidate, as is tradition from Kingsmoot of Old. He comes with his three sons Lords Gyles, Ygon, and Yohn as his champions. Gylbert promises the Iron Born that if he becomes king he will lead them to a new bountiful land across the Sunset Sea, as Nymeria did with her ten thousand ships. His gifts are whale bone, sealskins, and bronze. Both the speech and the gift are also traditions and most assembled look bored with the Farwynd's empty promises that they are forced to endure for a second time. Erik Ironmaker, the first actual candidate who wishes to challenge the Greyjoy claim is carried on a carved driftwood chair by three of his grandsons, Lords Dagon, Thormor, and Urek. His gifts are silver, bronze, and a few steel daggers and blades. Princess Asha humiliates Erik by asking him to stand on his own two feet, which the elderly man is unable to do. Lord Dunstan Drumm, Lord of Old Wyk, comes next. His champions are his sons Lords Donnel and Denys, as well as Andrik the Unsmiling, a famous warrior. Lord Dunstan's speech starts well particularly when he puts to words the frustration of many of the Iron Born nobles and captains with House Greyjoy which had lost much support and respect, especially as King Balon Greyjoy had once again refused to actually lead his men into battle. As written by Lord Rodrik, The Drumm would announce the following to thundering approval: "Where is it written that our king must be a kraken? What right has Pyke to rule us? Great Wyk is the largest isle, Harlaw the richest, Old Wyk the most holy. When the black line was consumed by dragon fire, the Ironborn gave the primacy to Vickon Greyjoy, aye ... but as lord, not king" at that point it seemed likely that all Greyjoy's may lose the Kingsmoot but The Drumm talks too long and soon loses the interest of the crowd. His gifts of bronze do not win them back to him as the captains sneer at their low value.

Prince Victarion Greyjoy comes next with the famous and renowned warriors Nute the Barber, Ralf the Limper, and Red Ralf Stonehouse as his champions. He is much supported already despite the rising discontent with the Greyjoys and is well received for he had actually led the men under his command into battle. His gifts of gold, silver, and gems add to his supporters, for while he was unable to take Blackpool he had been able to capture many trade ships in Ironman's Bay and also sacked much of the prosperous towns between the coast and the Blackwood Vale. Princess Asha Greyjoy comes next with Qarl the Maid, Tristifer Botley, and Wallace Wynch, as her champions. She is introduced to jeers and taunts for many captains feel it is improper for a woman to try and claim the Seastone chair, but even more that propriety Princess Asha had lost large number of supporters due to her being the leader of the failed attempt to take the Riverland's, her losses at Seaguard and then against the sell sails a millstone around her neck. Furthermore her position as King Balons preferred heir while giving her power and influence before was only a liability now. But despite all this the Princess does better than anyone expected. Unlike the rest, her gifts are rocks, bark, and mud. She shows the Iron Born these gifts to demonstrate that this is what they have won so far by fighting the Riverlands, losing fathers and sons for these "treasures". Asha instead offers them Keeps and Lordships in the Westerlands. Promising to not just raid but permanently own the wealth of the Lannisters and make the assembled captains the Overlords of the West, just like the Iron Born had once ruled over the Riverlands. She wins much support, but many still support Victarion and the two factions begin to squabble with many accusing Princess Asha of losing them the war in the Riverland's though the charges also tar Prince Victarion.

Then Prince Euron Greyjoy has one of his men, Cragorn, blow a piercing horn, which silences the fighting. Euron then steps forward and promises the Iron Born can indeed conquer the Westerlands. Prince Euron claims to have met the exiled Dragons and in return for allying with them, they would give Daenerys Targaryen to be his salt wife as well as give the Iron Born Lordship of the Westerlands in return of ridding the Dragons of the Lannisters. A task which would be easy now that the Old Lion was not there. Prince Euron's men then pour forward his gifts, including: gold, silver, armor, curved swords with gilded pommels, daggers of Valyrian steel, pelts of tigers and spotted cats, jade manticores and sphinxes from Valyria, chests of nutmeg, cloves, and saffron, ivory tusks and the horns of unicorns, feathers from the Summer Sea, and bolts of silk and samite. Prince Euron is enthusiastically chosen by the assembled captains and along with his own banner he raises that of House Targaryen. Asha Greyjoy would run away from the Iron Islands post the Kingsmoot, taking all her crew with her so to escape her uncle Euron, who she was convinced was responsible for the death of her father.

The following is an excerpt from the work "The Great Naval Battles of Westerosi History" by Archmaester Gyles whose mask and ring and rod are Iron.

Soon the Iron Fleet gathers at Lordsport and prepares for the Invasion of Lannisport. As in previous campaigns missing is the Harlaw fleets, though some captains sword to their cadet branches and vassals are present for the wealth and women of Lannisport is a prize which blinds the Iron Born to even their most sacred oaths. Lead by King Euron are some 400 ships, from the galleys of the Iron Fleet to the Longships of individual captains. These ships are carrying not just the crew but also an army of some 5,000 warriors to act as reinforcements to the crew for King Euron was expecting many battles on land in his campaign. As this Great Salt Fleet make its way to Lannisport it represented the single biggest gathering of the Iron Born might in generations. In fact one could argue this was the single strongest host raised by the Iron Born since the conquest of the Riverland's before the coming of Aegon the Conqueror at the very least, for even in the Greyjoy rebellion and previous such wars the entirety of the Iron Born's might had not been gathered as one like this. King Euron led not just a fleet but an army, one whose purpose was to conquer.

Standing in the way between this mass of thieves, murderers, rapists and the Jewel of the Westerlands and its largest settlement were some 150 ships composed of the Lannister and half the Farman fleets as well as a large number of Sell Sails. These ships were bolstered by some 15,000 men on land, commanded by Prince Loren who stayed in the city, leaving naval command to Lord Farman's Uncle, Ser James Farman.

Soon the day of the battle arrived, one which both sides knew would determine the course of the Westerlands for many years to come. From the start it was a day which made men on both sides uncomfortable; For it was a dark and stormy day, signs which both the Iron Born and Westerland Sailors and Sell swords considered to be bad omens, but the true bad omens were yet to come. According to the reports sent back to shore King Euron apparently commanded that each ship have drowned priests who had opposed King Euron's bid to the Seastone Chair tied to their bows, and then in front of the Westermen fleet, in full view of their far sight glasses he had their throats slit. While no records exist we can presume this actions would not be well received, the reports also state that one of those killed was Aeron Damphair, who was allegedly tied to The Silence, the ship of the King and if this is true then the Killing of Aeron Damphair on his brothers orders made King Euron a Kinslayer.

After this macabre offering to the Drowned God the fleets sailed the short distance between them and collided on the sea, a sea which became more and more stormy as the battle began raging, it was as if the storm was feeding on the death and blood spilled. It is recorded that soon after the battle started and the storm strengthened the howling of the wind grew stronger and stranger, growing discordant yet piecing as if hundreds were screaming in agony, an unnatural sound unheard in any storm before or since. It is known from his own papers that Prince Loren himself had to dismount for the sounds began spooking the horses on land, giving us an idea of their loudness and scope. The battle continued despite these wind screams however and soon ships began breaking apart, but whereas in most cases those who are on a sinking ship drown, this time the sailors were not allowed this relatively merciful death. Those on the watchtowers of Lannisport sent reports of the horror that they could see through their Myrish far sight glass; In the waters present were great number of shark like beasts who had legs and arms like that of men, with claws for nails and toes, jumping from the water to capture and devour men who fell and turning the sea red with blood.

Soon it began raining but the rain was strange, it was like water yet thicker and was tainted red, and dyed the whole battlefield a bright red as if it was bathe in blood. Across the city the people would panic for they had already been scared by the screaming, many would attempt to run away from the city and septons would ring bells in fear, ringing them louder and louder as if trying to rouse the Seven-who-are-One to wake up and come save them from this nightmare of unholy screams and raining blood. Soon the sea began shinning with an eerie and sinister glow, and the glow lit up the sky. By this time it is reported that the inland gates had been pried open and desperate people began fleeing the city, many running towards Casterly Rock while others attempt to run even further inland, to a land not tainted by this unholy rain and foul magic.

On the Sea itself by now men on both sides were said to be scared and are reported to have tried to retreat, the fleets disengaging from the battle. But soon a horror was unleashed. Large red tentacles, ten of them rose from the Sea. Each was as thick and tall as the Hightower of Oldtown which could be viewed from across Lannisport and even from Casterly Rock. Soon the alarms were raised across the city and Lord Farman's will would break for from his ships signals would be sent for a retreat of the entire fleet to the dock, ordering his men to dock, abandon ship and flee onto the land. Such signals were relayed to Prince Loren, but instead of disagreeing with them he also ordered a retreat of the troops, formalising the process which had already been going on unofficially. The Gates of the City were ordered open to make it easier for the sailors to retreat, and all the troops and City watch were also to direct all the smallfolk to make their way inland, away from the sea and the monster. The Prince ordering all smallfolk to move north of the Golden Lions Avenue in the center of the city, the traditional marker between uptown and downtown Lannisport, though again this order was merely formalising the haphazard and panicked evacuation already in process .

Soon two large angular but stout black mountains, surrounded by a ring or taller black spikes rose from the middle of the sea longer and broader than even the largest of ships, in the gap created by the two retreating fleets. It would take some time for the men to truly comprehend that these were in fact the monsters beak mouth and teeth. Soon the monster's tentacles began moving, smashing ships and also raising them from the surface of the sea and dropping them into its mouth. Those ships who tried to escape are said to have been smashed by the waves which rose is strange patterns, falling on ships like hammers. Others are said to have been caught up in waves which rose only to push the ships back towards the monster. It was supposedly these waves which destroyed the ships which had reached the shore, the waves rising 40 feet high and falling with great force. It was again these kind of magical waves ,which started from the shore and moved out to the sea, which took untold numbers of men back to the monster with them, foiling their hopes of escape.

Even in Casterly Rock one could hear the distinct screams of the dying men, despite the distance and the screaming and thunderous bellows of the storm. In the meanwhile the sea burst through the shore and coastal walls, aided by the open gates, the water which looked indistinguishable from fresh blood creating new 80 foot waves even once the water entered the city, waves whose height and patterns of attack can only be explained with magic. It is recorded that on each of the seven side of the Golden Sept of Lannisport a large column of blood water rose to the height of 200 feet. And then all at once the arched and flew like serpents, wrapping around and crushing its wall, destroying the Golden Sept, the bastion of the Faith of the Seven in the Westerlands which had stood for centuries. When these blood serpent waves fell they flooded a large portion of the city, with entire buildings said to have been uprooted and washed away.

Soon enough and yet also not, it was over, the horrific screams replaced by an eerie calm. Most of the septs whose bells had rung louder than the thunder became silent, either because they had been destroyed by the demonic waves or because the septons had fled. The storm finished and the clouds allowed a few bleak rays of pale and sickly sunshine onto a sea of blood. The monster disappeared under the waves, returning from whatever watery hell it had come from and the eerie light disappeared with it. The sea and even the city was littered with body parts, corpses and the remains of the shattered ships and buildings. The shark creatures disappeared as if there were never there, only the chewed corpses showing teeth marks never seen before remaining as evidence.

Lannisport had been shattered. Large sections of the city wall had been broken in the storm and waves, most of the city flooding destroying all the granaries, shops, warehouses workshops and homes near the shore with only the inland warehouses and granaries, built to be protected from Iron Born raiders preventing the city from starving then and there. And of course the damaged building were the lucky ones, as the unnatural waves had smashed many of the buildings of the city. The death toll was in over ten thousand if not in the tens of thousands. Further the seawater and rain colored Lannisport as red as fresh blood, a scene which would not look out of place in the Seven Hells .

From the only guard tower on the shore which still stood standing they reported seeing only one ship remaining out in the sea. This was the Silence, the ship of King Euron whose look was both distinct and infamous. Clear to make out even with it stained with the blood water. Still flying the banner of the crow king, it seemed completely unharmed despite the hundreds of other ships being smashed, then it turned around and went into the west, slipping into the horizon.

The Battle by Lannisport or as its more commonly known the Battle of Blood was a major event of the Great Storm War, it signaled the end to the Kraken War as majority of the Iron Islands strength perished in this battle. The Battle would have major consequences on the future of the Iron Islands.

As news of the battle and the strange and foul sorcery that defined it spread across the realm the people, noble and smallfolk alike prayed for protection from the Seven-who-are-One and the Old Gods. Indeed so strange and horrific was the tale was that many lords would claim if word had not come from Casterly Rock directly they would not have believed it. Prince Loren would announce a prize of 250,000 gold dragons to any who could bring him Euron Greyjoys head but no one took him up on the offer. For in that one battle Euron Greyjoy became one of the most infamous incarnations of evil in westerosi history, committing an evil and betrayal so great it would only be surpassed by his own future actions.

But as much as the Battle of Blood was an integral part of the Great Storm War, it was also the herald of something much greater and more terrible. It was the first true battle of an even greater conflict, one which the Westerosi had scarcely begun to realize the stakes and scales of.

Chapter 27: Pride Comes Before the Fall and a Lion is the Most Prideful Creature of Them All

Chapter Text

Before the infamous Battle of Blood but some time after the formal Iron Born declaration of Independence and the start of the Kraken War, the southern theater of the Great Storm War would see the end of the false peace that was the Ravens War and the start of the Second War of the Stags, as the last of the Wildfyre was disposed off. The reason the Crownlands and Northern Stormlands became the pivot of the war, despite few facts on the ground changing from its previous stalemate, was simple. With the Iron Born Rebellion and the start of the Kraken war in the Westerlands and Riverland's, the armies present at the Inn of the Crossroads and Harrenhal could not be used in battle, because these forces might be needed later. As such the need to preserve the main reinforcements, the only ones which could reinforce the West in time, meant that both sides refused to make any major moves in the Riverland's against one another. Therefore both the Stags and Lions needed to win by deploying and using the forces they already had in the southern theater, or the war would continue dragging on. Further driving action was the fact that both sides needed to win soon and consolidate power, though the reason for the hurry was different for both factions.

For House Baratheon of Storms End this was as they were quickly running out of resources in term of gold and grain, even another 8-10 months of stalemate would mean they would simply not be able to continue the war, not unless they took on a ruinous debt or risked famine in winter as the extra stores each kingdom builds to manage the transition from the seasons, as crop yields decrease year over year until the winter year comes, had almost been exhausted in the Stormlands. Further they were worried that if they did not end the war soon then the men would not be able to return home and ready the winter year farmland, which needed to be prepared to ensure an adequate harvest in the coming years, for currently these lands were mostly overgrown and empty so as to have the fertility to last through the Winter years. The Lannisters also wanted to finish the war soon; of course they had plenty of gold and had been using said gold to import grain from Essos and the Reach to feed their troops in Kings Landing meaning they were not constrained by resources . And later in the year after the Battle of Blood Prince Loren would sign a large contract with Reach, Braavosi and Pentoshi traders , with the Iron Bank acting as guarantor; Some accounts claim that the deals were collectively over 1/2 millions gold dragons and closer to one million. These saw Reach, Braavosi and Pentoshi fleets bring in large amounts of grain, livestock, wood and metals to help the Westerlands rebuild from the devastation and refill their granaries.

As such the Lannister worry was not one of being able to continue the war for they were currently well supplied, financially secure and relatively well prepared for the coming winter; The Lions could fund their own expense, import food and continue lending the crown money for years before exhausting even one of the legendary Great Vaults of Casterly Rock. Rather they were worried over the fact that each moon the war continued the power of the Crown fell and the future reign and authority of King Joffrey weakened. As such fighting would start again, at first this would consist mostly of raiding parties fighting in the Kingswood as each side tried to goad the other into attacking. These battles did nothing but get soldiers killed, for neither side would benefit much from these skirmishes whose gains would be lost the next battle.

Prince Tywin would be recorded in the works of Maester Wendel telling his grandson King Joffrey the following. Note: The structure of the following quotation and the complete lack of the retorts and contributions of King Joffrey and other present at this meeting in any of Maester Wendel's Papers suggests the following is likely edited in some way even if it is mostly factual. (Recommended reading: Maester Patrek's Evaluating Truth in History, An in depth look at the accuracy and reliability of the works of chroniclers in the Disputed Crowns Era).

"Any man who must say 'I am the king' is no true king at all. Aerys never understood that, but you will. When I've won your war for you, we will restore the king's peace and the king's justice, we will treat our enemies fairly and help them back to their feet, otherwise they will never surrender. And that they surrender and willingly return to the Kings peace is most important, for you and your mother are too blinded to see the truth just like Aerys was when he too went around alienating his lords. He and his son the vaunted silver prince both failed to understand that being royalty was not something which freed them from the consequences of their actions. The Crown is not strong enough to conquer the Seven Kingdoms again, and has not been since the days of the Dance of the Dragons.

Shouting you are King like a spoiled child is unbecoming, especially since the task before you is the need to persuade the Great Houses that you are a just and wise ruler that they can be confident in having authority over them, or at the very least are willing to hand over power to a Hand they have confidence in. Tasks made infinitely hard due to your actions during the Ball of Madness, at least my daughter in her foolishness was only ruining her own stature and legacy. A Queen consigning two heirs of Great Houses to their rooms for ridiculous crimes for a day or two ,which the King would inevitably overturn upon his return, was something I could have fixed even if it took a decade for the nobles to forget. I would have had every bard and puppeteer from the Wall to Dorne sing of the foolish Baratheon Queen driven mad by her husbands infamous whoring and drinking, of the Stag Queen leading the Golden Crown Prince astray using his love for his mother. House Lannister and the Crown would have been tarnished but it would have been a stain that I would have had washed out.

But then you had to sentence the Princes to death, and worse ignored every chance to repent then and there, if you had done so I could have still done something, even if I needed to lower myself and make some humiliating concessions to the Wolves and Falcons. But you did not and today you are suffering for it, the legendary friendship between Houses Baratheon, Stark and Arryn, a friendship which along with the wealth and might of House Lannister was supposed to be the foundation upon which the new Royal Dynasty of Westeros was to be founded is no more. It died with King Robert and Jon Arryn, no rather it died at The Ball even while King Robert and Jon Arryn lived. After that day only the Starks and Arryns loyalty to Jon Arryn kept the Baratheon's from losing half the realm; And only my reputation and my pitiful inability to commit kinslaying that kept your own neck attached to your head and saved you from the Wall, a far worse fate than an execution in truth.

Quiet! As things stand now you need my armies to protect your own holdings which at this time are not even the entirety of the Crownlands. Understand that if this war continues the Crown will continue to weaken, you and your sons may lose even the last of the absolute authority the Crown has been able to hold on to after the Great Charter. This city will become your descendants cage, if you cannot become wise.

For even if I became young again and had decades to direct a conquest I could not take the Seven Kingdoms with just the Westerlands and Crownlands. We need the Riverland's and Stormlands under our command and our waters secure from the Iron Born if we are to ensure holding the Iron Throne brings us anything other than prestige. When this war ends the Tullys will remain only as the Lords of Riverrun, at best, and depending on circ*mstances your brother will likely be married to Princess Shireen or Cassana as Prince of the Stormlands, a Lannister will also be married to Orys Baratheon as Lady of Summerhall. With this House Lannister will be able to untie the half the kingdoms. This will become the bastion with which I will ensure the continued loyalty of the rest of Kingdoms, rebuilding the foundations for a Golden Dynasty which will last a thousand years. You will not interfere in any of these matches, nor will you show the defeated anything less than perfect courtesy when they return to court, I will not tolerate another Ball of Madness "

While both sides probed one another in the Kingswood the Royal Court was focusing its attention onto the upcoming nameday celebrations of the King. His first since being coronated and thus one which was more important that even an ordinary Royal nameday. No expense was spared for this would not just be a nameday, but rather would be a celebration of the new reign and House Lannister's hold on the Crown. And in some ways it was compensation for the fast and relatively austere coronation that occurred, happening as it was under the shadow of the then upcoming war. Along with the nobles already at court all the crownland nobility was invited to attend. To the surprise of all there were also delegations from houses of the Narrow sea, not the mainline nobles but cousins of Houses Velaryon of Driftmark, Celtigar and Massey.

On the morning of the Royal Nameday , breakfast for House Lannister and other nobility is held in the Queen's Ballroom within the Red Keep. The king receives a bow of golden wood from Jalabhar Xho, riding boots from Lady Tanda Stokeworth, silver spurs from Lord Reyne, and a model of King Joffrey's Valor from Ser Alster Farman, who had been named Master of Ships. Prince Tyrion gives his nephew King Joffrey a copy of the illuminated Lives of Four Kings. The Queen Cersei and Ser Jamie ,who had become the new Lord Commander of the Kingsguard after the dismissal of Ser Barristan Selmy, give their…..King, a fine sword with a hilt composed of a golden lion with rubies for eyes, a homage to Brightroar the lost Lannister ancestral blade. Further there is valyrian steel in the sword, not the whole blade of course, but a pair of valyrian steel daggers that the Lannister twins had procured had been melted and forged into a very thin and tall blade, almost like a Braavosi Water dancer's blade, with an edge on only one side, this in turn was bound with an ordinary steel word giving the Kings new blade a single valyrian steel edge. The craftmanship was fine enough that one could not see the crack nor feel the fact that one was wielding in essence two blades joined as one. King Joffrey and the Royal Court are delighted with the blade which is named Widow's Wail. The King demonstrates its edge by destroying the book he received from Prince Tyrion. Prince Tywin Lannister gives his grandson a eight-sided Royal chalice decorated with representations of the Great Houses: ruby lion, emerald hand, onyx stag, silver trout, blue jade falcon, opal sun, yellow garnet kraken and pearl direwolf.

The feast takes place in the evening within Iron Throne Hall of the Red Keep. The room is decked with porcelain Yi-Ti pots filled with Purple flowers while the walls are decorated with pillars of red roses and yellow gorse. Keeping with the theme the King wears over his red and gold doublet a magnificent purple shawl of Nathi Silk, visible everywhere is the new Royal Standard which equally honors Houses Lannister and Baratheon with a golden lion rampant and a black stag. At the Kings insistence 49 dishes are planned for the dinner, the lowest number of courses he would accept. The famous Hamish the Harper is the first performer, premiering "The Kings Pride" and also singing "A Golden Stag", "The Rains of Castamere", and "The Bear and the Maid". Hamish is followed by the equally famous Collio Quaynis who sings "The Dance of the Dragons", a song of the Doom of Valyria, "Bessa the Barmaid", and another version of "The Rains of Castamere". Further entertainment comes from pyromancers, whose very presence leaves a bad taste in more than one mouth but delights the King to the worry of the Royal Court which by now had been growing concerned with the never ending rumors about the Kings cruelty, a cruelty so like Aerys II. The Court singer Galyeon sings a song of the Battle of King Landing with seventy-seven verses.

Prince Tyrion is seated several steps away from the other Lannister attendees with his Mistress Shae also in attendance though of course on one of the common tables, at the other end of the hall . King Joffrey, while drunk, continually attempts to provoke his uncle, suggesting he join when a pair of fools enter the throne room and proceed to mock the Joffrey's Baratheon uncles, Stannis and Renly. The later mockery was well noted by the court, and was a surprise for Prince Renly had, like most of the realm, remained neutral. This lead many to speculate that unlike the Great Houses the Crown had decided it would not bother taking the Prince of Dragonstone back into the Peace.

Though some accounts of the feast claim the line of Prince Tywins face got more harsh and grim when he heard Prince Renly being mocked, making some speculate he had not approved of this. As there were indications, in the form of Prince Renly's vassals attending, that Prince Renly may be seeking to return to the Kings Peace this disapproval would be very likely. For the support of Prince Renly and his return to the Kings Peace would only bolster the Lannister claim to the Iron Throne and help secure the city. In no way would the Lannister cause be helped by him being mocked openly at these celebrations, an event which may possibly drive him to support the Stags to secure his holdings.

King Joffrey again encourages Prince Tyrion to join the fools. After Prince Tyrion refuses and embarrasses the boy king by calling him a craven who was stain on King Roberts legacy, King Joffrey empties his chalice of wine over his uncle and orders him to be his cupbearer. A Braavosi mummers troop is scheduled to perform, but the great Name Day Pie arrives, served by six cooks. Ser Ilyn Payne cuts the pie, allowing doves to fly free from it.

After deeply drinking wine from his chalice, and eating several handfuls of the pie while the troop performs, Joffrey begins to cough, each one more violent than the last. The knights of the Kingsguard Meryn Trant, and Osmund Kettleblack run to the aid of the choking King while the performers, court and guests scatter, some fleeing and others looking on. King Joffrey points at his uncle Tyrion in his dying moments; Prince Tyrion empties the wine remaining in the chalice onto the floor. After King Joffrey is confirmed dead, Queen Cersei insists that her son was poisoned, and orders the Kingsguard to arrest Prince Tyrion.

As news of the murder of the King spread the smallfolk tell various stories about King Joffrey's death, including that Prince Tyrion slit the boy's throat with a dagger and drank his blood from a chalice, or that Prince Steffon had snuck into the Red Keep killed King Joffrey with a spell and then escaped by turning into a Stag with bat wings.

With the exception of his mother, Queen Cersei, King Joffrey is not particularly mourned by anyone; even his…….relative Ser Jaime. The Royal Court apparently breathes a sigh of relief at the death for they feel that King Joffrey deserved his fate for his cruelty and foolishness. Prince Tyrion would later be recorded stating in his trial that King Joffrey would have become a worse king than the Mad King, Aerys II, a statement which the nobles agreed with. With poison in mind, Ser Jaime, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, orders Ser Boros Blount to taste all food for the new King Tommen.

As the official mourning of King Joffrey commences many note that Prince Tywin looks unbothered over his grandson dying, many accounts speculate that Prince Tywin was happy with the removal of King Joffrey and the accession of a new King untainted by the Ball of Madness and one who was not known for his cruelty or ineptitude in dealing with the Great Houses and nobility. Many indeed claim that Prince Tywin was behind the poisoning though this is mere speculation and there is no evidence behind such a vile accusation.

As this is occurring we know that Lord Petyr Baelish, his wife Lysa Baelish and their son Robin Baelish have left the Red Keep. House Baelish sail on the ship the Merling King. Though few would note their absence as strange for they had announced their departure for a Royal task earlier, they had told everyone they would leave the moon after the nameday celebrations, and not as early as they actually did. Though of course with the death of King Joffrey many things had changed.

Prince Tyrion Lannister is implicated by the Queen Cersei for the crime of killing King Joffrey, with some japing that Prince Loren would be next to achieve the honor of killing a king. While in custody, according to the record of the conversation he had with the Grand Maester who went to counsel him before the trial, Prince Tyrion believes that Lord Baelish had poisoned King Joffrey. And that he had done so to remove Prince Tyrion, the Master of Coin, who was close to finding proof that Lord Baelish had stolen enormous sums of money from the Crown using his position as King Roberts main Private Secretary and one of the Chief Overseers of Taxes, but currently Prince Tyrion had no proof on the matter.

At the start of his trial, Prince Tyrion states that Joffrey had accidentally choked to death on the pie. Maesters Ballabar and Frenken concur that Joffrey was poisoned, however, and Maester Pycelle, The Queens personal Maester, testifies that Prince Tyrion killed the king with the strangler. Lady Taena Merryweather swears before the assembled Lords that she saw Prince Tyrion drop something into King Joffrey's chalice, and Josmyn Peckledon, Galyeon of Cuy, and Morros Slynt all recall having seen Prince Tyrion empty the chalice of wine while the king died.

Realising that the court had already found him guilty and that the trial was nothing more than a pretense, Prince Tyrion became visibly more enraged. Once he realised that he had been betrayed by even his mistress, the whor* by the name of Shae, Prince Tyrion openly expresses his regret for giving his service to and saving the lives of the Royal Court and its nobles. Growling venomously as he slowly turned to meet the eyes of as many nobles he could "I should have let Stannis kill you all!, how I wish I could go back in time and open the gates" alienating himself from the court. Then looking straight into the eyes of sister Queen Cersei "I did not kill Joffrey, but I wish that I had! Watching your vicious inbred bastard, the one you put on the Iron Throne instead of Roberts children die gave me more relief than a thousand lying whor*s!" Prince Tyrion then turned and addressed the assembled nobles "I wish I was the monster you think I am! I wish I had enough poison for the whole pack of you! I would gladly give my life to watch you all swallow it!" before finally turning and addressing his father over the increasing cacophony he stated "I admit my guilt but only to the crimes I did commit, the crimes I have been paying for my entire life. I admit I am a Dwarf and that my birth was the cause of my mothers death" As the Royal Court rose in outrage over the statements made by Prince Tyrion, the guards and heralds secure order on the command of Prince Tywin. Prince Tyrion eventually insists upon trial by combat, but he is found guilty after Ser Gregor Clegane is named the Crowns Champion and no sellsword, not even his trusted sword Bronn is willing to fight for him, causing him to forfeit by default.

According to the letters of Lord Tyrek Lannister written years later after the time we have one account of the following events, one whose veracity cannot be proven but has been so popular that it's considered the true account by many.

Ser Jaime Lannister frees Prince Tyrion from the black cells the night before his execution. Realizing this may be the last time they meet Ser Jaime tells his brother the truth about Tysha, Prince Tyrion's first wife. That a fortnight after marriage the septon who had married them confessed the act to Prince Tywin despite his promise not to do so . That then Lord Tywin was so incensed at a common woman daring to marry a Lannister, that Prince Tywin ordered Ser Jaime to tell Prince Tyrion that Tysha was a maiden whor* who Ser Jaime had paid to make Prince Tyrion a man, even arranging the incident with the outlaws to set the scene. And that in the end Prince Tyrion had raped his wife, and stood by while others had raped her, over a lie.

Prince Tyrion leaves his brother to find Lord Varys , who at Ser Jamie's request is to take him out of the Red Keep through secret passages . However, before leaving, Prince Tyrion makes his way through a passage to Prince Tywin's chambers in the Tower of the Hand . Prince Tyrion confronts his father, pointing a crossbow at him, demanding to know what happened to Tysha and why has he hated him so much that he was willing to have him murdered over a false accusation, especially after all he had done for House Lannister. Prince Tywin explains that Prince Tyrion knows the reason for his enmity, the murder of Joanna Lannister, and that as for his execution, it was a necessary evil. To the growing anger of Prince Tyrion his father explains that as long as Prince Tyrion lives and ,more importantly, continues to covet Casterly Rock he and their vassals would be a challenge to the authority of Prince Loren. That many of the Westerland Lords would push him into rebellion for they would be happy to see the Lannister's descend into a war over succession, for doing so would weaken the iron hold Casterly Rock had maintained over the Westerlands since the Reyne-Tarbeck Rebellion. Prince Tywin declares he had learnt his lesson, seen the mistake borne from his inability to neither accept a smaller shame nor to commit kinslaying in the aftermath of the Ball of Madness and that House Lannister had paid dearly for that mistake; King Joffrey should have been sent to the wall as an offering to the rest of the Realm, an offering which while humiliating would have helped them start fresh with a new Crown Prince in the more even tempered and wiser Prince Tommen, in turn rebuilding the ties needed to secure the Crowns and thus House Lannister's grip on the Realm. He promised Prince Tyrion that he would not have had him executed, for despite being an abomination he was still of his wife's womb, but said that to ensure the future of House Lannister remained stable Prince Tyrion would have to be sent to the Wall, where he would not be a threat to his half brothers.

After listening to this Prince Tyrion, furious, asks about Tysha. When Prince Tywin claims he does not remember the name, but when Prince Tyrion says she was the girl he married, Prince Tywin calls her his sons "first whor*". Prince Tyrion says he will kill his father if he calls Tysha a whor* again. Prompted, Prince Tywin recalls that he did not have her killed, as she'd learned her place, and supposes Casterly Rock's steward sent her on her way. When Prince Tyrion asks where that was, Tywin replies "wherever whor*s go". The word causes Tyrion to shoot the crossbow's arrow into Prince Tywin's neck, killing him and becoming a Kinslayer. Prince Tyrion then escapes with the aid of Lord Varys, but he did so he left one final set of instructions for his trusty sworn sword Bronn, for his Mistress Shae is found dead the day after.

The Death of Prince Tywin was a major blow for the Lions who had lost their most senior commander and a leader whose name and reputation alone ensured the Westerland lords remained united; And his decisiveness and wisdom allowed House Lannister and the Westerland Nobility to withstand any challenge. The remains of Prince Tywin are shown in his crimson armor for seven days in the Great Sept of Baelor. A drying of the mouth also causes Prince Tywin's lips to curl up and make him appear to smile, a sight most found horrific. Ser Jamie is supposed to have said that this smile was the only proof the realm needed that his father was actually dead, for no one who heard reports of him being seen smiling would believe it could happen while he was still alive. Ser Kevan, Tywins brother and closest confidant rides down to the city from Harrenhal with a party of 20 Knights and Lords. He prays by the side of his brother, shaken and wearied by the murder especially because it was committed by his nephew Prince Tyrion, someone who Lord Kevan was always fond of. He attends Prince Tywin's funeral and leads the ceremony and performs the final rites to the shock of the Royal Court, for Prince Tywins eldest son was present and he should be the one to lead the ceremony and perform the rites. But all accounts confirm that Ser Jamie was unbothered by the fact that his uncle took the lead in honoring his father, his sister the Queen Cersei is also described to be unconcerned by this lack of filial piety, reported in many accounts as being visibly irritated at times during the ceremonies. Six silent sisters eventually take his bones west and Ser Lancel, nephew of Prince Tywin and eldest son of Ser Kevan, heads the escort under his fathers personal banner. Said escort is composed by one hundred crossbowmen, three hundred men-at-arms, and the Lords of the West that is to return Tywin's body to the Westerlands to be buried in Casterly Rock. The Lords and knights are also going to formally renew their vows to Prince Loren Lannister, who is now the Prince of the Westerlands and Lord of Casterly Rock

Despite the formal titles passing to her younger half-brother Queen Cersei considers herself to be the true heir to Prince Tywin. She offers a lordship to whomever brings her the head of her fathers murderer, her brother Tyrion. As King Tommen is still underage, now Regent Queen Cersei appoints Ser Harys Swyft as Hand of the King, though most agree this was that she could end up running the Kingdom in truth, for as Queen Cersei once remarked, the chicken was too bold and House Swyft should have chosen the worm for its sigil. This choice was also as Lord Kevan Lannister had refused to become hand of the King without becoming the Regent as well, deeming his niece not capable enough to rule. Lord Kevan is made Master of Coin instead.

By now news of the Battle of Blood is pouring in from Lannisport. All the entire Realm and Royal court can talk about is the Battle, the hellish creature which destroyed hundreds of ships and rain tainted with blood falling on the city. Soon many septons and begging brother start claiming that the Gods have punished the Lannisters for their impiety though a much larger numbers would blame the heretical Iron Born, calling the monster proof that the Drowned God was nothing more than a devil and the Iron Born devil worshippers

The Royal Court, despite receiving confirmation of the accounts of the Battle of Blood from Lord Varys would still have difficulty believing the news and Queen Cersei would also offer a lordship to the man who could bring them Euron Greyjoys head, adding to the reward of 250,000 Gold Dragons Prince Loren had already announced. More troubling were the news that Lord Varys revealed to the Small council. This was the fact that Euron Greyjoy claimed to be in league with the Targaryens and his betrothal to Princess Daenerys Targaryen. Queen Cersei ordered that this be made known to the Court and Smallfolk immediately and asks the new High Septon to order the septons across the Realm to denounce the monster as foreign sorcery, also to blame House Targaryen for the Battle of Blood, a request which he complies with immediately.

Across the Realm the Iron Born and Targaryens are denounced and the faithful rallied against this unholy monster and magic.

Despite the increasing pushback she is receiving from the Westerland Lords who are increasingly split in their loyalty to the Crown and to Casterly Rock, Queen Cersei soon successfully consolidates her hold on the Crown and secures the Red Keep. She orders that all interest payments on debt to the Westerosi Great Houses and their Banks, including House Lannister and the Golden Bank of Lannisport to be suspended, sparing only the Iron Bank who they cannot afford to alienate lest they start funding the Baratheon's of Storms End. This action leads to ravens arriving from the Banks of Winterfell, Highgarden and Oldtown which all promise to stop making loans until all the crowns debts are repaid. Undeterred Queen Cersei sends ravens to Casterly Rock demanding more gold to meet the Crowns growing expenditure.

This would backfire horribly for not only did Prince Loren not send more gold, he refused to send even his taxes to the Crown until they started repaying interest on the Crowns debts of Casterly Rock. This stance caused a war of words as ravens flew back and forth between Casterly Rock and the Red Keep. As the Crowns coffers became increasingly empty the Queen would grow angrier with her half brother. Even Lord Kevan who supported his nephew at the start for he was wary of setting a precedent of House Lannister forgiving the crowns debts, wrote to him saying this dispute was harming the unity of House Lannister and asked him to make more loans. But Prince Loren would not budge and the Crown was forced to borrow more and more from the Iron Bank. Soon Varys informed the Small Council that Lord Tytos Brax, cousin to Prince Loren had been dispatched to Highgarden, supposedly to negotiate for the hand of Princess Margaery Gardner. This greatly surprises and upset the Queen who sends ravens to Crakehall ordering this to be stopped, but the Boars and Prince Loren do not even bother to send a reply.

By this time the Crown starts receiving reports that the Stags, having heard of the chaos in the Red Keep caused by the death of Prince Tywin have decided to make another attempt to take the city. Prince Stannis is personally leading a force of 25,000 Stormlanders. As the City braces for the force reports come of troops in the Kingswood. But the army does not arrive. It would only be a sennight later when news came of the Baratheon-Tully host marching on Harrenhal does the Royal Court realise whats happening. With the threat of the Iron Born gone, their men and fleets perishing in the Battle of Blood the Baratheon-Tully's planned to gather their strength and take back Harrenhal, and in doing so secure the Riverland's and cut of the crown from their base of power in the Westerlands. This is confirmed when reports come of the Stormland host led by King Stannis marching into the Riverland's.

The Royal Court is bitterly divided on how to proceed. Some wish this time to strike Storms End when it was less defended and to burn its lands like they had the Riverland's. But others such as Lord Brax and Martyn Lannister, Kevan Lannisters second son, object for Storms End will not be easy to take. Further to send out a force now is to risk leaving the city vulnerable. Other wish to march after the Stormland Host, reinforcing the force at Harrenhal and help smash the Baratheon-Tully forces once and for all. As the small council and Royal Court keep arguing the Queen Cersei makes up her mind and decides to both. The Queen Regent orders Lord Daven Lannister to lead the 10,000 men of the Crowns forces south to take Storms End. In the meantime warning ravens are sent to Harrenhal and the men in the are ordered to try and hold on. The Crown also prepares river barges to send reinforcements to Harrenhal, with the hope that the barges will allow the Lannister army to reach first before the Baratheon's arrive. Along with some food and other such supplies the reinforcements come with, to the panic of many, Wildfyre. The batch originally created for the Battle of Kings Landing has not been exhausted and now some of it was sent to Harrenhal to burn away the Stormland Forces.

By this time news is coming from the Riverland's, the Baratheon-Tully forces had learnt of the negotiations Prince Tywin had been conducting before his death with House Frey. After receiving ravens from King Stannis demanding House Frey surrender and answer for breaking their oaths, the Lord of the Crossing Lord Walder Frey wrote back, hoping to use negotiations with both sides to secure the best terms for his House. He sought to secure terms from King Stannis, writing he had been offered much by the Crown but would support the stags for a marriage, accepting either one of the princesses for his great-grandson of the senior line of House Frey or if that was rejected Prince Steffon could marry whichever granddaughter or great granddaughter he wished. But to the surprise of very few really, rather than negotiating with the House Frey, who despite the construction of the Blackbridge were still one of the principal Houses of the Riverland's; Who held the some of the least affected land from the war, commanded one of the Riverland armies and would have brought much to King Stannis' side in terms of matches to other Houses and allies in the trading guilds the King and Queen would not bend. Even when their Lords counseled that the Frey's would likely have accepted a lower price for their support than what they initially offered, King Stannis and Queen Catelyn refuses to even consider negotiating, both finding it an insult that they would need to bargain for the support of lords who ha sworn oaths to them. The King declares House Frey guilty without even a trial (so much for his reputation as a law abiding man) and declares all of House Frey and its members attained for treason. Lord Walder Frey to the surprise of no one, but perhaps the Stags and Trouts themselves, decided to declare for the Lions who at the very least are willing to offer something in return for services rendered.Furthermore the Stags take a political blow as the Frey alliances are utilized to full effect in the Riverlands to undermine King Stannis' authority.

In front of the Royal Court King Tommen declares House Frey to be the new Lords Paramount of the Trident and declared the Blackbridge owned by House Blackwood of Blackbridge would be ceded to House Frey, one of Lord Walder's grandsons was to be married to a Blackwood and would become Lord of Blackbridge, sworn to the mainline at the Crossing. Soon many Westerland and Crownland lords also found themselves having to accept Frey squires and fosters as well, though they were able to escape forced betrothals for now. Furthermore as part of the terms agreed House Tully would be attained in revenge for the attainment King Stannis had decreed. However unlike Blackbridge, Riverrun would be ceded to House Baelish for its services to the Crown, it was also hoped that the claim the House already had to the seat due to Lord Baelish's marriage to Lady Lysa would help reduce the backlash at giving such an important seat to such a small House who had not provided that much gold or men to the Crowns cause.

This series of events changed the dynamics of the war, for the Crown now had a new base of power in the Riverland's, one which controlled the lands and crossings of the northern Riverland's. Furthermore the Crown's forces had been bolstered by a new host of 4,000 men, men who could march on much of the Riverland's without any major defenders.

Soon the Frey's begin marching south, bringing new headaches to the Baratheon-Tully forces.

The Battle of Harrenhal, or Siege of Harrenhal was one of the more notable battles of the Great Storm War and certainly the single largest battle of the Second War of the Stags. It would see some 35,000 troops of the Baratheon-Tully Host try to take Harrenhal, the one of the largest castle in Westeros which was currently defended by some 15,000 Lannister troops having been freshly reinforced. Also slowly but surely coming to the Lannister aid were 4,000 Frey troops. The Battle and siege was relatively short all things being said and done, for one should have expected a years long siege when one takes into account Harrenhal was the greatest keep in the world but it was not to be.

The Baratheon-Tully Host, Led by King Stannis, quickly built siege engines, and would tried to intimidate Lannister defenders led by Ser Jamie, while Baratheon riders tried to figure out the chinks in their defences. After 6 days of preparation, on the seventh day the first assault occurs and the Lannister defenders are ready, they wait until the attackers are fully committed before releasing the Wildfyre. Setting the siege engines alight and with them the frontline of the Baratheon Vanguard. Other Wildfyre Jars are thrown into the masses creating fires, panic and breaking formations.

King Stannis orders a retreat and while he would lose only about one in twenty of his men to death and major injuries in truth the loss was a huge blow to morale, not only in terms of the fact that the threat of Wildfyre had shattered many men's courage but also due to the humiliation they had received from just how quickly the Lannister forces has been able to break a siege assault. Further an issue faced by the stags was that many of the siege engines they had built had been burned in the assault. After about a sennight or 9 days to be exact, after the first assault the Baratheon forces try again, and again they are attacked by Wildfyre forcing them to break the assault. But before they can actually retreat some smoke and shouts appears to come from within the wall of Harrenhal. Soon a very large green explosion occurs within the walls. The explosion was of such force that the portion of the wall where it occurred simply crumbles and a large wave of Wildfyre spews forth both inside and outside the wall. Men of both armies try to run away as the green flames grows and consumes all in their path. The fire would burn throughout the night. The Baratheon-Tully host deeming making camp next to the Keep to dangerous withdraw further away to Harrentown.

We simply don’t know what exactly happened but the consensus is that there was a mix up in the Red Keep and aged Wildfyre was sent to the front. Along with being much stronger ,with aged Wildfyre growing up to ten times more potent, simply being in the sun can cause aged Wildfyre to set on fire. Further we know that the Lannisters were pouring Wildfyre on rocks and wood in preparation of tossing them on trebuchets as was planned as early as the preparations in the Red Keep and was confirmed by Lannister survivors. Some of this Wildfyre could have caught fire and then lit up the casks. By some estimates near equal numbers of Lannister and Baratheon troops had died or were majorly injured in the assault, some 5,000 each making it difficult to determine who won other than the crows who got cooked meat for once. But considering Harrenhal still stood in Lannister lands it is generally considered a victory for the Lions.

Later in the morning the Baratheon Host would find out that King Stannis had been caught up in the Wildfyre attack on the Vanguard and in the night had passed away from his wounds. This makes his son now King Steffon Baratheon. Realising that storming Harrenhal might lead to more deaths by Wildfyre, and possible even a revolt by scared vassals, but also that he has no choice other than to continue the battle for he cannot afford the Lannister Host to remain in the Riverlands. Therefore King Steffon settles in for a long term siege. The injured Stormland and Riverland smallfolk levies are paid and sent home.

King Steffon sends a raven to Storms End announcing the death of his father and then prepares for a diplomatic offensive. He sends ravens to Dragonstone to his Uncle Renly, informing him that he has lost another brother, offering him apologies for the actions of King Steffon's parents and makes some minor concessions in return for the Gold, Men and Ships of the Stepstones and Narrow Sea Houses. Though it should be noted that King Steffon did not offer Prince Renly any office of note, not even his former position as Master of Laws. Meanwhile his Great Uncle Lomas Estermont is ordered to go south to Highgarden to negotiate terms for Hand of Princess Margery Gardner; A message is also dispatched for Dorne, asking for the what Dorne would be willing to offer if he took Arianne Martell to wife. This course of action, to involve the Gardner's was once deemed by Prince Tywin to be either foolish or desperate and King Steffon was very much the latter.

In the end none of these would be successful for Prince Renly wanted the position of Hand of the King in return for his aid, an office King Steffon cannot grant him without causing a revolt amongst the men already in his command. House Martell also reject any betrothals for they realised that if King Steffon was that desperate his chances were not good, meanwhile House Gardner also sends a raven offering condolences for the death of King Stannis, though they take pains to only refer to him as Stannis of the Stormlands, and also warn the stags that Highgarden was not interested in a match currently, saving Lomas Estermont the trip.

By now by besiegers of Harrenhal had gotten word of the Frey Host marching through the Riverland's and laying siege to Willow Wood, seat of House Ryger who were one of the Principal Bannermen of Riverrun. This was along with a military defeat a massive political disaster for the Baratheon's for Lord Ryger had warned of his seats vulnerability to a Frey Host, but had been prevented from taking his forces back to defend his home by King Stannis who was more concerned by the task of taking Harrenhal, now with Harrenhal still in the hands of the Lion and one of the most important Keeps in the Riverlands besieged those lords who had reasons to be unhappy had found a reason by which they could air out such discontent, and in doing so undermine the new young Stag Kings control of his own court and war council. While the Stag host at Harrenhal would not be routed by the much smaller Frey's Host should they come south, the Frey's did not need to confront the Baratheon Forces when they had a free hand in the Northern Riverland's for now, a free hand which made the Riverland Nobility extremely nervous, especially as word came of Vypren Hall also coming under siege, further alienating the Baratheon's from the River Lords.

But it was not just the River Lords who were growing discontent, the vulnerability of the Stormlands to Lannister raiding of the kind that occurred in the Riverland's was painfully clear to the Stormlords. King Steffon at this point was likely under immense pressure at this point, House Baratheon was cut off from its strength, was surrounded by enemies and was heavily outnumbered, only this time unlike in Roberts Rebellion there would be no large Northern Army coming to the rescue and no Jon Arryn to shield an equally young Steffon Baratheon from the scheming of older and more experienced Lords. Despite this news however King Steffon held firm, maintained the change of command and most importantly to the continuation of his Royal Authority refused to break the siege of Harrenhal and enforced said decision, rather he only intensified it further. But realising something had to be done about the Frey's he sent under the command of Lords Ryger and Vypren a 10,0000 strong Riverland-Stormland host to attack and break the Frey Host that was besieging the seats of these Lords. In order to ensure that the two Houses would not simply drop out of the War King Steffon also ensure the Heirs would remain with him.

Soon word comes that a rather small Frey Host was met and the siege broken under the walls of Vypren Hall due to the Stag Host outnumbering the Freys more than ten and possible twenty times over. The Frey forces had surrendered in truth. Despite this however the Frey forces in the Riverland's as a whole would be able to escape, especially as the larger principal Host surrounding Willow Woods had ample time and warning. The Stormland levies under the command of Lord Swann would chase the Freys to the Crossing, as Lords Ryger and Vypren stayed in their homes for now to oversee the rebuilding of their lands, but would face some losses to the Frey bandit tactics before camping the Host on one side of the Green Fork.

Knowing any negotiation was not currently possible due to his fathers action and that in anycase he could not be seen as desperate to win the Frey's King Steffon orders Lord Swann to start a siege and when possible take the Twins. They are ordered to put all women to the sword, send all men to the Wall, appoint a Castellan and gather all and bring back all the gold, barring what was needed for repairs and preparing for winter. Needless to say this order is easy to issue, difficult to achieve.

While this is occurring the siege of Harrenhal continues. Immediately after the long term siege is declared by King Steffon riders are sent to inspect the walls and some brave men even try and enter the keep in the dark at night, scaling the walls to understand the situation inside. Against all odds they are successful, for the Lannisters were so worried about the large gaping hole they neglected the walls facing the lake shore. As the men climb down the wall and return they tell of a camp fully reorganised to defend and also mend the gap. They also report that that they did not see any Wildfyre casks next to the gap. Though of course they inspected it in the dark with little light in the camp, also using a Myrish far sight glass, therefore no certainty over the possibility of further Wildfyre stocks could be drawn.

That first Sennight a party led by Lord Bracken takes control of some fishing vessels and that night sets the Lannister river fleet and the docks of Harrenhal on fire. By the time the Lannisters react its too late. The barges have been burnt. Some lord wished to sally forth but into the gap before the Lannisters rebuild and block it with the rubble but King Steffon resisted because he knew that was what was expected and thus that the Lannisters would be ready to counter any charge.

Soon the castle is under a complete siege from not just land but also lake. In the Baratheon Camp tensions begin to rise for the gap is by now blocked by a rough but strong looking wall made by reassembling and organising the rubble, meaning that many lords felt that their greatest advantage is now nullified and that the Stags have lost their best opportunity to storm the greatest keep in the world. Outside the walls of Harrenhal the men are building trenches and using the earth to create defensive mounds, showing they intended to stay. King Steffon realised that the Lannister forces would likely run out of food sooner rather than later and a siege while slow is the best solution. Indeed Lord Bracken and his men have been building boats to create a riverine blockade and the fishermen have been helping them patrol the Gods Eye, and already some grain barges have been turned away. Lords Piper and Vance have also been dispatched with cavalry to the towns and villages on the lakeshore, to hunt down any Lannister forces there and make it known no food deliveries to Harrenhal would be tolerated. Near two sennights later he meets Ser Jamie Lannister for a parley in front of the gates and asks for the castle to surrender but Ser Jamie refuses.

Knowing that the Lannisters are too focused on the gap which remains the greatest weakness in Harrenhal's wall, King Steffon makes a feint, mustering his forces in front of the now reinforced gap, using his siege engines to throw rocks and ballista's, and ordering his cavalry to muster and ready for a charge, with Lord Lyman Darry wearing King Steffon's armour and leading the Knights into position to make it even more realistic. But this is a all an excuse for while the Lannisters focused their attention of the gap, King Steffon has men scale the walls again, this time they are to set fire to the granaries and food wagons which are closer to the lake. A task they are successful in if the smoke and alarms are any indication but it was at the cost of their own lives, for those who did not die would be captured and tortured to death as King Steffon guessed and later confirmed. This greatly damaged the morale of the Lannister garrison even if in absolute terms they had lost only a little of the food and supplies, burning in truth not more than a few sheds.

As the siege drags on, onto a month since the first battle the Baratheon's get word that the Lannister army led by Lord Daven Lannister had laid siege to Storms End and had sent raiding parties to burn the Upper Stormlands, particularly the lands of House Baratheon in retaliation. Though the first attempt to storm the Keep and Storms End Village both had failed. As the Stormland Lords demanded they be allowed to return to their homes to defend their land and people King Steffon stood steadfast, they would not leave until victory was achieved. This stance brought the Stags no love from their vassals and accounts make clear that Storms End was quickly burning through all the good will it had accumulated during the reign of King Robert. If victory was not achieved quickly then King Steffon would likely lose the support of his Lords and most likely his life.

His only blessing was than ten thousand people consume a lot of food and that the food stocks of Harrenhal were not prepared for such a prolonged siege for the Lions had been counting on a Host from the Westerlands to come relieve them, but no such Host marches much less arrives. Soon Ser Jamie leads a force in an attempt to break through the siege but the attempt fails, the Baratheon's are too entrenched after spending over a moon to prepare the land for such a outbreak. And here the problem of using Ser Jamie as commander for this task reveals itself, for he was a Lannister, someone who was used to having the initiative and an abundance of resources. He did not have the skills to manage a siege and food shortages, nor knew the art of patient defence. As such he undertakes the only technique that the famed swordsman knows, going on attack. More sally's go forth and more are repelled at great cost to the Baratheon's; Trenches and earth mounds helping to direct and slow down Lannister forces who also take losses.

After another moon or so of the siege the Lannisters parley with King Steffon and surrender with many of the highborn squires and heirs allowed to return to the Westerlands while the rest become prisoners of the Stags. Ser Jamie being the most notable prisoner.

The Battle of Harrenhal is one of the great victories for the Baratheon-Tully forces. Through the victory they secured all of the Riverland's, barring the Frey lands, had broken the Lannister host accounting for half their men in the field and once they secured the castle also managed to get hands on large chunks of Lannister Gold which had been brought by Ser Strafford. Gold which allowed the Stags to fight for a bit longer. With Harrenhal secure, and the Frey Host pushed out of the lands loyal to the Stags, King Steffon decides to take the battle to the Crown directly and orders a march on Kings Landing with the hopes being that a quick victory there will also allow the Stags to secure the Stormlands before its too late. The Highborn prisoners are sent to Riverrun, some men are left for occupying Harrenhal while the rest of the army is to march south to Kings Landing. But to the frustration of many Storm Lords the Stags took time to recover their strength, by preparing supplies, forging weapons and distributed those captured and made plans on how to ensure they take the city this time.

In the meanwhile word comes from the east. Ravens whose words which have the potential to turn the war on its head and shakes the foundations of the Seven Kingdoms.

Chapter 28: The Third Head of the Dragon and the Prince Who was Promised

Chapter Text

House Stark and the North was still reeling from the damage it had suffered in the immediate aftermath of the Tournament of Tears. From the records of Winterfell we know that each and every member of the Stark Family had been deeply affected by the day, and each would carry the wounds of the massacre, even if they were only in their souls, for the rest of their lives.

As part of the aftermath, according to the court tales of Winterfell, Lord Jon Stark would demand to know the truth about his birth, that is the identity of his mother. It seemed that coming so close to death without knowing the answer to that question had re-lit the fire in the young boy. And in their grief Princes Rickard and Eddard would see their resolve crumble and reveal what was at the time one of the most closely guarded secrets of the Starks. That Lord Jon Stark was not the natural son of Lord Brandon Stark, but rather was sired by Prince Rhaegar Targaryen on Lady Lyanna Stark, hence his purple eyes, they were not just ordinary Valyrian eyes, or as some rumors said Dayne eyes, but were Targaryen Eyes.

The news that he received was devastating; That he was not just born a bastard but was one who was borne from his mother being raped; That conceiving him was the reason Prince Rhaegar had stolen away his mother Lyanna Stark leading to her death; That he was in a way the reason which caused the death of Lord Brandon, the man he had thought his father for all his life; That he was the Blood of the Mad King: And further he was in a sense the cause for the realm to go to war during Roberts Rebellion where thousands had died. All this was a deep blow to young Jon Stark. Indeed he would not leave his rooms for a moon, and would barely eat or drink during this time.

The end of Jon Stark isolation came with the Moon of Screams. Also called the Herald of the Dusk. This month many Green men and Green seers were plagued with strange nightmares throughout the North, and indeed even those who lived in the south were affected. None would be able to recollect the exact contents of thier dreams and what little they did remember did not match the recollections of the others or for that matter make any sense, for the dreams were as mysterious as terrifying, but all agreed they were no ordinary dreams. These were messages from the Old Gods and they were telling their supporters to prepare, something was coming, something terrible, something evil. In the Great Keep of Winterfell itself both Prince Brandon Stark and his cousin Lord Jojen Reed would receive the dreams. Each day they would wake the keep with their inhumane screams, the voices piercing the sleep of the inhabitants were not normal, belonging to some ancient monstrous creature rather than two young boys. Soon their dreams morphed and when they woke they still remembered not the dreams, but knew that they demanded that Lord Jon go to Dragonstone as soon as he could. This would start major arguments among the Starks, for many were wary of sending Lord Jon to the south, afraid he would get caught up in the fighting or would be taken as a hostage, Prince Robb in particular was worried of the Spider, Lord Varys, finding out about Lord Jon's true parentage and capturing him. But Prince Brandon and his cousin were insistent and the Green Men of Winterfell backed their claims, declaring that these green dreams were messages from the Gods and should not be ignored.

After a few sennights of discussion they would receive ravens from Castle Black which would grant new impetus to those who cautioned against venturing south and also freeze the blood of all who heard. From the north came news of the Great Ranging. It was an expedition organized by Jeor Mormont, the 997th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. They received word that Lord Commander Mormont himself led three hundred ranger and 100 stewards of the Night's Watch north beyond the Wall. It was the biggest ranging in living memory, consisting of near a fifth of the Night's Watch's Rangers, though only 2 parts of 50 of the Stewards which were the most numerous rank in the Nights Watch.

Every three days the Lord Commander would send a ranger and Steward back with news. And while especially in the end these teams did not always return, most would and as such they brought back word to Castle Black of the expedition finding many deserted wildling villages. They also report that they had learnt from traders and travelers they encountered that the villages were empty because Mance Rayder was gathering all the free folk in the Frostfangs with the intent to strike at the Wall as the wildling chieftains have done in the past. The Watch also learnt that the host is also seeking to strike the town-beyond-the-Wall Hardhome and its surrounding lands. This is all that’s sent with the first raven to Winterfell and more is promised.

The very next day ravens fly from Winterfell to all corners of the North announcing that they may be facing a Wildling Invasion of the North. Grain and other goods such as weapons are ordered to be sent to the mountain clans and the Houses of the Upper North to prepare, aid is also sent to the Wall itself, along with foodstuff from Winterfell the nobility of the Upper North also sends weapons and wood. But this does not mean the Houses of the Lower North are not contributing. Fleets are deployed to import even more grain to replace what was sent, with the Starks buying two bushels from Essos for each sent up to the Gift and Far North. Ravens are sent to Hardhome and the Saltstark Navy sends provisions to not just the town but also the many villages so that they may better be able to withstand a siege.

Along with aiding the Nights Watch Winterfell and the North also prepares for an invasion in their own lands for this would likely be the first such invasion in at least 60 years. Across the North forges work day and night to belt out weapons, in even the smallest hamlet the men are trained in spears, archery and in the richer settlements in the trusty norther halberd.

Soon every House in the North receives Ravens from Castle Black with a ribbon of black running through the Seal. This was a very special type of message; A reminder of the sacred oaths sworn by the Lords of the North, Oaths which bound them to support the Watch and do their role in protecting the Realms of Men. To receive a letter with the black ribbon was to know that war had come to the North, it was earlier the Nightfort and now Castle Black calling for its allies armies. But unlike countless generations past the message in the Raven is not one asking for men to fend off the wildling forces of a King Beyond the Wall, rather in it was a harrowing tale one which was out of legends and song itself.

A summary of the Account of the Second Half of the Great Ranging sent to the Northern Houses:

The expedition had made camp at the Fist of the First Men. There they were attacked‎ by wights, the same undead creatures every northerner had been scared with when they were a child. After an unsuccessful counterattack, due to being caught unaware and ill-prepared to fight an unfamiliar foe, unseen till now outside of legends and childhood tales, Lord Commander Mormont rallies about one hundred brothers onto horseback to break out of the Fist in a tactical retreat while those on foot in the eastern part of their camp use a barrier created by their camp and a fallen tree being on fire to make way through the forest to Hardhome, numbering some 70 or so. It is assumed that the brothers who were unable to form up with Mormont's retreat or were able to outrun the wights while they were held back by the fire were all slaughtered.

As the horses become more tired and the weather worsens, the Lord Commander organizes the injured to be put on horseback and sets the able men walking with torches to guard the flanks and rear. Fortunately the wights do not give an effective pursuit, only nibbling at the stragglers. However it is while they thought they were safe, that they had outrun the wights, that the true enemy reveled itself.

The Other was tall and gaunt, with flesh pale as milk. It had cold blue eyes that was as bright as blue stars. Its presence made the area grow even more cold, and it had a different sort of life. It was inhuman, elegant, beautiful to behold and dangerous. It killed 6 of the stragglers and was about to kill more when Black Brother Samwell Tarly in desperation stabbed it in the throat with the only blade he had, a dragonglass dagger found at the Fist. However rather than dying against a creature which wielded a sword made of Ice which shattered castle forged steel, the Black brothers hears a sound similar to the cracking of ice beneath one's foot. The Other's armor, flesh, and bones melt away as a result, dissolving away until nothing remains. Thus it is during this march south that the Watch reconfirms the effect of dragonglass on the Others.

In the meanwhile the party to the east are less lucky, they arrive to Hardhome chased by many wights and do not have the benefit of horses. As such the abandon their injured, but still they face more loses, with even the uninjured barely being able to outrun the undead. What had started as around 70 are whittled to no more than 13; The party only lose the wights when they leave the cover of the forest and reach the walled fishing village that marks the southern entry to Storrold's Point, signaling the boundary of the Domains of Hardhome and House Hardstark. Sheltering in its stone walls the Black brothers warn the people about the threat and then make way by boat to Hardhome; From here they send ravens announcing their survival to Castle Black and Eastwatch and from their travel back to the Wall by ship.

In total some 3/4 of the men who had left on the Great Ranging die. Almost one in twelve Black Brothers, the single greatest loss of live the Nights Watch had endured in not just living memory but also since the forging of the Iron Throne.

The news that wights and Others have been seen beyond the wall greatly divides the Northern nobility starting a furious debate. On the one hand the Northern Nobility was not skeptical of magic for they live everyday with wargs and Green seers, showing magic had not yet died like the southern septons and maesters claim. But wights and White Walkers have not been seen in at least 8,000 years. But still few could claim the Watch, and more importantly the Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, would make up such fanciful tales.

While action would be taken immediately by all for Winterfell had commanded it there is still much dissent. But as the moons pass and the North prepares those who still doubted would have those doubts addressed, to their sadness and horror. First by new expeditions. Knowing more information was required Prince Eddard would send ravens to Lords Umber, Snowstark and Karstark as well as his brother Benjen Hardstark. In these ravens he asks they send men armed with steel and what dragonglass weapons they have, mostly dragonglass daggers which are provided to all the Green Men and ordinary members of the Order of the Weirwood alike. These previously ceremonial daggers soon took on a very powerful practical purpose. The expeditions went into the Lands beyond the wall to further investigate the claims of wights and the dead.

Within the moon two parties would come running back claiming to encounter wights and two would be lost, not returning at all. Also when news came from Lannisport, of the horror that was the Battle of Blood, the final voices of doubt were silenced. It seemed their ancient foe had indeed come back, that the Men of the North once again would have to face unspeakable horrors, that the dead once again marched on the Lands of the Living, threatening to bring forth a new Long Night to Westeros, one which may never end.

But despite asking for more confirmation the Starks were not idle in that period. In the meantime while further expeditions are sent Prince Eddard also sends a raven to Prince Renly, declaring he was sending his nephew Lord Jon and some of his stewards as part of delegation to discuss trade. In particular that the North wished to fix a good price for dragonglass and would buy all that Dragonstone could provide. Ravens are also sent to Braavos demanding the Iron Bank send him options to buy fleets worth of grain, Dragonglass and bitumen from Essos, which would be shipped to the North on contracted ships. The savings of dealing directly with merchants ignored for the speed and convenience of dealing just with the Iron Bank. More ravens are sent to the Wolf Den port demanding they prepare their fleet to sail to Dragonstone and that the Windstrider merchant company and the Manderly's are to prepare for men who could stay at Dragonstone and supervise the dragonglass trade from there. A group of messengers is also dispatched to go the Eyrie post haste.

In the meantime outside of Winterfell all the Lords are dispatching stewards to discover any new sources of dragonglass, while the only existing source in the North, a small mine in the lonely mountains is rapidly expanded. The men used to mine stone and build roads are diverted to expand the production. They begin to build a road to the village of dragonglass as well create a proper dock on its tributary stream which joined with the weeping water. In the meanwhile laborer's are sent to first build homes and other such structure and then are sent to mine all the dragonglass they can. The merchant networks rapidly shifting to accommodate this new enterprise. It is said the settlement of Dragonglass went from a hamlet of about 50 to a town of 1000 people in only a moon, so fast was the response.

Prince Rickard and his son Eddard also order the Northern Nobility to gather at Winterfell in the coming moons so as to discuss further steps, he further requests the attendance of the Lord Commander Jeor and some of those who had been on the Great Ranging including young Samwell Tarly and his companions who had actually encountered an Other.

As the North is preparing the rest of the Realm had also been alerted. Ravens had flown from Castle Black to all the corners of Westeros announcing the return of the Others. And while most of the realm dismissed them at first the growing awareness of the Battle of Blood would change attitudes. Despite this however there is no march to defend the wall. For now the realm was content to let the Starks deal with the matter on their own.

After nearly a month and a half of travel Lord Jon Stark and the rest of the Delegation would arrive at Dragonstone and on landing would hear of the siege of Harrenhal and how after so many sennights and so many failed attempts to break out the Lannister forces are close to surrender. Accompanying him were Lord Jojen Reed, nephew of Prince Eddard, Lord Otto Polder, Prince Eddard's closest confidant and Lord Martyn Cassel, High Steward of the City of Winterfell as well as stewards, men of the Manderly's and Windstrider's as well as a contingent of guards and Stewards.

Lord Jon would be welcomed with great pomp by Prince Renly who apparently viewed this as an opportunity to get the Starks and possibly even the Arryns to back his claim to the Iron Throne. But the one who drew the Northern party's attention the most was Lady Melisandre, who ignored Lord Jon entirely and asked to speak to Lord Jojen to discuss his dreams. But this would have to wait for Prince Renly wished to start the feast welcoming the delegation. Along with good food they are also entertained by mummers and bards. The next day after breaking their fast, Lords Otto Polder and Martyn Cassel would go to Prince Renly's solar to discuss the Dragonglass trade while in the meantime Lords Jojen and Jon are introduced to Lord Edric Storm, the only recognized bastard of King Robert. He had been smuggled out of Storms End by Ser Contray Penrose and brought to Dragonstone, for Ser Contray had become worried that as King Stannis had essentially disowned the entire line of King Robert Lord Edric ,who he loved as his own son, was in danger. Not from King Stannis himself but the rest of his family, in particular Queen Catelyn and now King Steffon who had no love for Lord Edric. With Lord Jon being taken on a tour of the Keep by Lord Edric, Lord Jojen is able to escape by claiming tiredness from the voyage. Instead he makes his way to the small temple to the Lord of Light where the entire Volantene delegation is gathered. There Lord Jojen discusses both his and the other dreams plaguing the North and asks how Lady Melisandre knows about them. Lady Melisandre claims these are not dreams given by the Old Gods but visions granted by the Lord of Light to warn them about the War, the True war they were participants in. Telling Lord Jojen "These little wars are no more than a scuffle of children before what is to come. The one whose name may not be spoken is marshaling his power, Jojen Reed, a power fell and evil and strong beyond measure. Soon comes the cold, and the night that never ends. Unless true men find the courage to fight it. Men whose hearts are fire."

Lady Melisandre asks that the northern party meet them on the beach that night in secret, where Prince Renly and his men wont be present. Thus that night the Northern Party descends to the beach and find the entire Volantene party standing in a large ring marked by braziers burning bright. As the Northern Party approaches even closer and the priests part they reveal a sight which horrifies the Northerners.

There is a pyre there.

As all had heard of the Red priests fondness for burning people as sacrifices to their Lord, the Northern Party immediately draws their swords and makes for the Keep. They try raising an alarm, but the warriors of the red priests fall upon them before anyone could be alerted. The Red Warriors are prepared and have coated their blades in poison, poison they also throw at the unprepared northerners, many of whom are forced into a deep sleep not even a minute after their skin touches the strange liquid. In the meantime Lord Jon is secured, his sword taken away and his direwolf Ghost ,who had been stabbed with a poison dart, is also asleep.

As Lady Melisandre speaks to the gathered in a strange foreign tongue her right hand woman Quaithe, also known as Quaithe of the Shadow, grabs Lord Jon, who has been hit on the head multiple times, making him disoriented and easy to maneuver. Soon Quaithe drags Lord Jon onto the pyre along with a small sack. After a short prayer led by Lady Melisandre the pyre is set alight.

From the records of Lord Jojen Reed describing the Dreams of the Pyre as it had been told to him.

Jon dreamed he was burning, and then suddenly the pain was gone. Soon he was flying, flying so high that the whole world was spread out below him, a tapestry of white and brown and green. He looked across the south, and saw the great blue-green rush of the Trident but soon after he looked it ran as red as blood. He saw the Golden Peaks of the Westerlands coated by a storm of blood and saw monstrous creatures in the water, hungry and unsated. Scared he lifted his eyes and saw clear across the Narrow Sea, to the Free Cities, the Kingdoms of Sarnor, the Bejeweled Cliffs of Helen and the hundred other people conquered by Valyria, so many places he saw that he could never learn all their names. He saw the green Dothraki sea and beyond, to Vaes Dothrak under its mountain, to the fabled lands of the Jade Sea, to the rich Golden Empire of Yi-Ti where the Old Windstrider had visited, to Asshai by the Shadow, on the edge of the world where dragons stirred beneath the sunrise.

Finally he looked North. He saw Winterfell as the eagles see it, the tall towers looking squat and stubby from above, the castle walls just lines in the dirt. At the heart of the Godswood, the great white Weirwood brooded over its reflection in the black pool, its leaves rustling in a chill wind.

He saw the Wall shining like blue crystal. And he looked past the Wall, past endless forests cloaked in snow, past the frozen shore and the great blue-white rivers of ice and the dead plains where nothing grew or lived. North and north and north he looked, to the curtain of light at the end of the world, and then beyond that curtain. He looked deep into the heart of winter, and then he cried out, afraid, and the heat of his tears burned on his cheeks.

Soon as he opened his eyes he found himself in Winterfell during the Tournament of Tears. Corpses of his family littered the Great Hall, “You don’t want to wake the dragon, do you?” Asked Lord Bolton alive once more as he chased Jon again, a cruel glint in his eye being the only indication of emotion on his blank face, the only one in the North as unreadable as his uncle's. Soon he ran into the hallway, but where there should be stone there was grass. He found himself in the middle of a crowd, spinning in shock they all stared at him and as he spun he caught sight of a castle he recognized but had never seen with his own eyes. Harrenhal. Pushed to the front he came to a clearing where a dirty man sat on the pavilion, with matted hair and long nails, cackling as a last embers blazed, grinning at the pyre where a person had been burned alive. "…don’t want to wake the dragon, do you?” the man asked, his smile cruel.

Running away Jon pushed his way through the crowd but instead of finding the end he came upon a large battlefield. All across him men were fighting and dying, the grass bloody. His attention is drawn to a tall man walking towards him. His armor had a dragon made of rubies on it “… don’t want to wake the dragon …” he said. In his bid to get away from this man, the source of so much pain, Jon tripped and fell, but instead of falling to the ground he fell and fell not stopping until he suddenly hit dirt and rock and sand, the green and red battlefield gone. Then he heard a scream coming from a tower in the middle of nowhere, a woman's scream. He ran into the tower and up the stairs until he came across a woman who reminded him of his grandmother. In a bloody gown she held a baby out to him to hold “… don’t want to wake the dragon …” she said. But as he made to grab the child, to get him away from her, she pulled back, running through the window and he chased after her.

But instead of falling he found himself before the Gates of the Inner Great Keep of Winterfell, the Home raised by his ancestor Brandon the Builder, the woman and child having disappeared, he saw the gates of the Great Keep closing and he ran to get in .“… want to wake the dragon …” a voice whispered. Ghosts lined the path, dressed in the faded raiment of kings. In their hands were swords of pale fire. They had hair of silver and hair of gold and hair of platinum white, and their eyes were opal and amethyst, tourmaline and jade. “Faster,” they cried, “faster, faster.” He raced through his home, his feet melting the cobblestone wherever they touched. “Faster!” the ghosts cried as one, and he screamed and threw himself forward. A great knife of pain ripped down his back, and he felt his skin tear open and smelled the stench of burning blood and saw the shadow of wings. And Jon Stark flew again “… wake the dragon …” The door loomed before him, Door of Wierwood which held behind it his families throne, so close, so close, the hall was a blur around him, the cold receding behind.

And now the stone and gate was gone and he flew across Blackwater Bay, high and higher, the blue and black rippling beneath, and all that lived and breathed fled in terror from the shadow of his wings. He could smell home, he could see it, there, just beyond the horizon, green fields with furry cows and endless grain, with woods where the Direwolves reigned supreme, the Winter City alive with the bustle of tens of thousands, going on with their lives under the watchful stone eyes of Starks of Old and the ancient Weirwood trees, and at the center of it all standing proud was the Great Keep, Seat of House Stark, Heart of the Kingdom of the North, the Bastion of Light in the Dark of Night, The Fortress of Warmth in the Bitterest Cold, Where Winter Fell and where he was a Stark and loved. He flew to the Weirwood Doors and threw them open. “…the dragon…” And saw again the man that by blood claimed to be his father, Prince Rhaegar, mounted on a stallion as black as his armor. Fire glimmered red through the narrow eye slit of his helm. “The last dragon,” His Uncle's voice whispered faintly. “The last, the last.” Jon lifted his polished black visor. The face within was his own

The next morning Lord Jon wakes into a sea of charred and burned corpses, at least 14 by his count. Lord Jon's clothes are gone. As he tries standing up, slowly for his body aches, he feels movement beneath him. Soon he screams. Standing there, not two steps away is a dragon. Black in scale and of red eyes. There stands proud the first dragon in centuries, it is the size of a larger greyhound hunting dog, a curious size considering the sack which most likely held the egg was small.

As Lord Jon tries to come to grips with reality his attention is drawn by Lady Melisandre, she claims that he had been blessed by the Lord of Light and must serve his cause in the War against the Great Other. Lord Jon scream that she is a murderer, killing her own men and woman over this madness. Lady Melisandre is unconcerned by the accusation. "Do not dishonor their sacrifice by calling it murder, they willingly gave their lives to wake the dragon and to grow it faster. For they knew it is needed to defeat the Great Other who is stirring in the Heart of Darkness. If he is not stopped all the lands of men will fall and the night will never end. You know this. You have seen it" is the reply recorded in the letters sent to Winterfell. By now the Northern party is awakening, each man woken by the screams of shock of the one who awoke before, for none expected to see a dragon in their lifetimes. As the sun rises higher and higher a silence settles on all, broken when the Red priests begin prayers.

Soon there is a commotion as Prince Renly approached the beach. He is accompanied by Prince Loras, Lord Edric Storm, Ser Contray Penrose and Maester Cressen, as well as a dozen Men-At-Arms armed with crossbows. They approach slowly, wary of the Dragon. A tense silence follows until Prince Renly asks, "Who are you? Truly" and when Lord Jon replies "The son of Lyanna Stark, Sired by Rhaegar Targaryen" Prince Renly after some quick consideration falls to his knees and forces the others to do so as well. The only exception is Prince Loras who draws his sword; But is stopped in his tracks when Lady Melisandre sticks out her arm and summons a large ball of fire in her palm, Further in warning the dragon breaths out a stream of fire, one which if it was aimed at Prince Loras would have killed him without a doubt. After seeing the warnings Prince Loras sheathes his sword and also kneels. It is known that Lord Jon was greatly uncomfortable being knelt to and forbade himself from being addressed with royal or princely stylings.

The whole part then goes to the Great Hall, which is cleared beforehand of all others by the men at arms. There at Lord Jon's insistence the Northerners tell all the story, including the tale of the wights and the Other found beyond the wall, to Prince Renly who hears it all with growing alarm for when he had earlier received the raven from Castle Black he had ignored it, writing off the warnings as the Watch going mad in terror after hearing of the Battle of Blood. At the end of it all Prince Renly promises to greatly expand the production of Dragonglass and pledges to sell what he can in a fair manner to help all prepare. Prince Renly also asks Lord Jon if he will take back the Iron Throne now, based on the Stark and Arryn Armies strength or if he would wait for the Dragon to grow? And if so would he be agreeable to an accord with Prince Renly?

Lady Melisandre cuts the conversation short, claiming that the dragon was needed in North for the True War, not for the childish battle for the Iron Throne. Though she did concede the might of the Iron Throne would be useful in the coming war. As all were in deep thought Prince Renly recommits to guest rights, asking them all to rest and be at peace. He further asks for time to think of the response he wishes to send to Winterfell. Over the next moon the keep is busy. In order to prevent word from leaking Prince Renly forbade people from leaving or entering the Keep. In the meantime the Northern party continues setting up the dragonglass trade and also raids the library with Maester Cressen to learn all the Dragonlore they could. By this time Lord Jon had named his dragon, calling it Triarch.

A few days after the Return of the Dragons later Princes Renly and Loras discuss the possibility of alliance between House Baratheon of Dragonstone and Jon Stark with the Northern Party. Prince Renly pledges to support Lord Jon if after the War for the Dawn Lord Jon gives him Storms End and the Stormlands. When Lord Jon asks about Prince Renly's nephew now King Steffon Prince Renly replies that despite having a good relation, King Steffon would likely not let him keep Dragonstone after staying neutral and not supporting him. Further because it is next to impossible that Steffon would bend the knee, Lord Jon will likely need a new Prince of the Stormlands as it is. Prince Loras also promises to speak to his father on behalf of Lord Jon.

Lord Jon promises to think on these matter further after the coming war.

The Delegation leaves after that moon, its holds full of Dragonglass, and with a firm promise from Prince Renly to continue to expand production of the substance. They leave for the North with Lady Melisandre and her remaining retainers, the dragon Triarch flying along.

On the very day they leave and were no longer protected by guest rights, and he was safe from discovery and retaliation, Prince Loras sends word to Highgarden, detailing the events and telling them that Dragons had returned to Westeros and they faced a threat of terrible ancient foes. Maybe they would have ignored him, his tales explained away as their son having been buggered mad, in the years past but now with the Battle of Blood they were much more willing to believe the raven from Castle Black warning of the Others for it was clear that magic had returned.

After all by the time the Northern Delegation left Dragonstone all sorts of dead things had been returning.

Chapter 29: Aegons Westeros has not yet Perished, So Long as we Still Live

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When news of the Targaryens surviving spread across Westeros, so did the level of curiosity on how and where they had survived. Many Lords believed that they had a Manse inside the Black Walls of Volantis, but the Arryn delegation disproved this for a final time. Other more…imaginative.. Lords claimed that they had returned to Valyria, and were raising an army of dragons to take back the Seven Kingdoms. Some claimed they had fled to as far east as Asshai, where in the Vale of Shadow dragons still lived. Other claimed they had fled to the Dothraki sea on the edges of Essos and had won themselves a Dothraki Khalasar. Some trying to demonstrate they were well educated and show had access to exotic maps would show guests maps with the city of Yeen, in southern Sothoryos, below the desert which separates its great forests from slavers bay. According to tales, Princess Nymeria called it "a city so evil that even the jungle will not enter." In taverns in Oldtown the sailors and singers claimed the Targaryens had fled to no further than Driftmark or Claw Isle, the seat of House Celtigar, while in the taverns across Blackwater Bay, the songs and whispers claimed the Targaryens had been given one of the floors of the Hightower in Oldtown.

In truth we know now that House Targaryen had fled to one place no one would think to look for them, The Kingdom of the Three Daughters. The reason no one guessed this is that no one would think the Targaryens would seek safety and shelter in a land which defined itself on a revolt against House Targaryen, and who had been one of the most bitter foes of Heirs of the Young Dragon in Essos.

Years before Roberts Rebellion Prince Rhaegar, under a false name, bought a large Manse and Estate along the coast of the prosperous Land. It was built to be comfortable and also secure, it held a small bay which could be closed by a great chain, giving the inhabitants privacy and protection from passing ships, the Lands surrounding the manse were also bounded by large rocks or short hills on two sides which again provided both defences and privacy. This was supposed to be a vacation manse, one similar in size and amenities to that owned by many rich and prominent magister and noble families. But rather than for vacationing in truth this was where Prince Rhaegar was going to exile his father after he won the Iron Throne. As such its location and existence was very well hidden for if his father found out Prince Rhaegar would be executed. It was at to this Manse did Queen Rhaella flee to, taking all documents from Dragonstone which may even hint at its existence. Here at the Dragon Manse as it was called Queen Rhaella gave birth to Princess Daenerys Targaryen, her only daughter to survive to adulthood.

Most of what we know of House Targaryen come from the surviving records of Maester Jeor who had accompanied House Targaryen during their flight from Dragonstone. During these years the Targaryens stayed silent, fearful to venture out unnecessarily lest they be identified and their location revealed to King Robert. We do know from the records that in these years the Targaryens were visited by Prince Oberyn Martell, but the content of the conversation he had with Queen Rhaella is lost to time. But based on other evidence and logical reasoning we can assume with some justifiable reasons that the Targaryens and Martells would renew their marriage alliance and that Princess Arianne of Dorne was betroth to Viserys III, who was styled as Viserys of the House Targaryen, the Third of his Name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, Lord of Dragonstone and Protector of the Realm. The picture painted for us is a comfortable exile, free of any unfulfilled material needs and wants for they always maintained access to the gold they had deposited in the Iron Bank, in fact they lived lives of luxury off just part of the interest as the Gold in their accounts only grew more and more. The Targaryen Small Council would also spend these years heavily focused on the upbringing of Viserys III for all realised that he would need to be a wise, strong and decisive leader should they have a chance of reclaiming the Iron Throne. And this was a growing concern for while King Viserys was able to complete his tasks in overseeing the household with enough diligence and was competent enough in his lessons and swordplay he was not great at any art, being only middling in all things.

By the time he had reached his majority he had grown impatient with what he viewed as the inaction of his family and Small Council, as with age he increasingly lusted after his father's throne and became obsessed with winning back the Seven Kingdoms. Indeed this desire would for some years at least push him into renewing his efforts at learning history, reading all the large tomes on the past Targaryen King and Westerosi wars the Maester Jeor gave him. When Queen Rhaella continued to delay showing themselves to the realm and also delayed his wedding, possibly to Arianne Martell or to his sister Daenerys, it caused King Visery III to became angry and bitter towards his own mother; Who he believed would happily spend out the rest of her life in the manse, living of the interest earned from the Iron Bank, and he thought that the Queen Rhaella wished for King Viserys to adopt a similar attitude.

After more than a decade into his exile, once he was seven and ten years old and a man in his own right, King Viserys would dye his hair red and adopted the name Vaemon in order to join the Second Sons Free Company, not telling anyone of his intentions and slipping out, leaving only a long letter. He would be chased by Ser Gerald Hightower but would order the old White bull back to the Dragon Manse to guard his mother and sister. Declaring he needed to do this, and do it alone. While registering and serving 'Vaemon' declared himself the younger son of wealthy plantation owners. We do not know much about his time in said Free Company, though from the records about the Second Sons we know he and the entire company would be taken to Sothoryos, to fight in the pointless wars between the Ghiscari cities, wars fought for amusem*nt and prestige of the Masters more than any actual dispute, with the sons of the nobility leading but never fighting in battles which were always away from any strategic position and the victors awarded a handsome but not overly large treasure, just enough to be respectful but not truly harming the other cities. And while thousands of dead would litter the battlefields the tents of the 'defeated' nobles would be littered with flower petals, not blood. For despite the wars the Ghiscari nobility were friends and family still.

The King returned to the Dragon Manse in some two years time, with all his limbs attached but his mind and many parts of his body scarred nonetheless. We do know that these were some of the harshest years of his life and the King often went hungry and dirty after losing or spending all his money. A problem common among newcomers in the Free Companies. And while all in the Dragon Manse celebrated his return (and the fact he had not been driven mad for that was a constant worry for the Targaryens), they were worried that he would take more reckless actions and become more erratic like his father became with age. And indeed they were correct to worry. The King was changed by the experiences he went through, becoming more irritable and quicker to anger. He would ride to the nearby port and spend much coin on prostitutes, he paid in gold but took his due for he was a violent lover. It is known that while the Queen Rhaella was greatly disturbed by this, remembering her own marriage most likely, she would encourage the usage of whor*s still, lest King Visery's eye wander to his younger sister.

After realizing the true difficulty of war and battle King Viserys III became worried that he would be unable to ever reclaim the Iron Throne, for he was not truly made for war, nor would waging the wars to conquer Westeros be as easy as he had dreamed it to be as a young boy. It would not be a song full of only glory and greatness but of blood, sweat and tears. And after realizing the true costs of waging war he also realized that the Dragons indeed did not have the gold to buy the forces necessary to take back the Seven Kingdoms without bankrupting themselves, something which earlier he felt was only an excuse for inaction for House Targaryen in exile were still one of the richer families in the world . Instead about half a year after returning he would declare his intentions to travel to the Vale of Shadow beyond the city of Asshai and declared there he would find and tame dragons, Dragons which would allow him to reclaim the Iron Throne.

Excerpt from "The Mysteries of the Far East" by Archmaester Marwyn, whose ring and rod and mask are Valyrian steel

The Vale of Shadows is a river valley in the Shadow Lands northeast of Asshai. The valley is a narrow cleft in the mountains through which the river Ash passes on its way from the Mountains of the Morn to the Jade Sea.The mountain cliffs are so high and steep that it is said no light falls within the valley except at noon. Demons and dragons and worse things are said to live in caves in the cliffs. At the heart of the valley is the ruined city of Stygai also known as the City of the Night and the Corpse City. Twisted creatures, such as demons and dragons, are said to live in its vicinity, and even shadow binders fear it. Little is known of Stygai, bar that one of its byname comes from the fact it only sees the light of the sun for a brief period of time each day, around noon.

To say the Queen was against this was a gross understatement, Queen Rhaella feared that if she let her son leave he would never return, or worse would return insane like her husband did after Duskendale. For nearly six moons the King delayed his journey as his family and counsellors pleaded with him, and told him that attempts to seek dragons after The Dance had only brought their family misfortune, his own great-grandfather King Aegon V had perished in the Tragedy at Summerhall chasing dreams about dragons. Further even if there were indeed dragons in the Vale of Shadows, it would take many moons if not years to reach Asshai and then to the Vale of Shadows, not to mention the time needed to come back. These would be years he would spend in peril, years where a single tavern brawl, even one which did not have anything to do with him might mean his end. Indeed his life would be in peril even if he managed to tame a dragon, for he would need to leave the Dragon to feed and bathe and sleep, and during these times he would be vulnerable and be without aid or protection. Maester Jeor would also question if he could indeed tame dragons from Asshai. After all Valyria never expanded as east as Asshai, and so its possible that the Dragons in the Vale of Shadow were of a different breed, one which the Valyrian's could not mount for if they could be mounted it is likely the sorcerers of Asshai would have succeeded in doing so by now. In the end it was the pleas of his sister Princess Daenerys which convinced him to stay.

This scheme by the King led to a renewed effort by the Small Council to prepare for the Second Conquest. Ser Oswell Whent and Hand of the King Lucerys Velaryon would accompany the King in journeys to the various free cities. Trying to create contacts amongst the free companies, in disguised personas, as well as those few magisters they could trust not to spread word of House Targaryens travels. At its core of these visits would be negotiations for a Pact with Volantis that Lord Hand Lucerys was keen on and would spend years working towards, travelling to Volantis many times a year and slowly but surely working his way through the Volantene corridors of power until he was accepted as an official Envoy of House Targaryen and the Triarch began actual negotiations for aiding the Targaryens to take back the Iron Throne.

Along with this the King and Queen Rhaella would also spend moons developing a plan to take back the Iron Throne. Queen Rhaella would also argue against a marriage between King Viserys and his sister for to do so would prevent them from making at least two alliances, and after much protesting and anger King Viserys would concede the issue. After much debate and seeing the then current state of westerosi politics the Queen would recommend that King Viserys take Margery Gardner or Arianne Martell as wife and betroth his sister to either Willas Gardner(if he chose Arianne) or the heir to another Prince or Lord Paramount. This advice created much argument for King viserys did not want to ally with treasonous Great Houses which at this point all but the Greyjoys and Martells were, with their betrothals, marriage or friendships to the Baratheon's, Starks and Arryns. Furthermore allying with the Greyjoys would bring more misfortune and enemies than strength necessitating the Targaryens to make more pragmatic if distasteful alliances. Further pushing the Targaryen strategy of allying with treasonous Great Houses was Queen Rhaella's belief that the greatest traitors were Robert Baratheon and the Lannisters. Indeed the Queen would say that "the other Baratheon's, the Starks and the Arryns are traitors and need to be served fire and blood, but their treachery is not a tenth of what the Lannisters did. We must make an example out of them all, even those who were loyal but later bent the knee to the Stag. However the suffering need not be equal, for the Lannisters who killed my grandchildren must be punished most of all . The Lannisters and the Usurper's sons are the only ones who cannot be parleyed with, the only ones where there can be no agreement other than that of a quick death. For the rest of the Great Houses we should allow for an agreement which spares their children"

One of the things complicating the planning of the return of House Targaryen was a disagreement on how to treat the concessions and changes made by King Robert including the granting of Princely titles as well as the Great Charter granting more rights to the Nobles and restraining the power of the Crown. In the end Lord Hand Lucerys would prevail and convince the Targaryens, however reluctantly and begrudgingly, that they would need to concede on both points, for the actions of King Aerys II such as the murder of Brandon Stark as well as the Kidnapping of Lady Lyanna by Prince Rhaegar would indeed hang over them, and that these concessions could and would be seen as making amends to past mistakes.

Thus the basic outline of the Targaryen plan to retake the Iron Throne was to close a pact with Volantis, one which would give them armies and fleets. Then to betroth the King and Princess to the heirs and eldest daughters of Great Houses gaining the allegiance of at least two Kingdoms. Finally they would also issue an Edict of Pardon, allowing all but a select few, no more than three dozen in number, to return to the King peace with their lives, lands and titles intact should they bend the knee.

As part of this the Targaryens would begin setting up spy networks in Kings Landing and Westeros, something they had refused to do earlier lest it be discovered and traced back to them. It was this spy network through which they would receive news of the Ball of Madness and the rising tensions between the Baratheon-Stark-Arryn Alliance and the infighting between the Baratheon-Lannisters and Baratheon-Tully's. They were again convinced by the Hand of the King to ally with the former rebels and use the divisions to remove the Baratheon-Lannisters rather than attempt to defeat all the Kingdoms, a task which was impossible without Dragons.

As news came of the Arryn Delegation to Volantis, and that Kevin Lannister would be among their number, King Viserys III made the decision to go to Volantis and reveal to the Westerosi that The House of the Dragon had indeed survived and would be reclaiming their rightful inheritance. King Viserys III also felt they needed to go to Volantis lest the Triarchs decide to discard the Pact they had so painstakingly negotiated, ruining years of efforts. This decision would lead to the Confrontation in Volantis. After the Confrontation in Volantis the Targaryens would return to the Dragon manse. They would spend these years developing lines of communication with Westerosi Houses who still supported the Targaryens particularly the Martells. Staying patient the Targaryens would lie in wait despite King Viserys III demand for action, for the Targaryens realised that to show their hand while the Kingdom stood untied would ruin their chances.

Hence they prayed for chaos which would provide opportunity, both of which they received when the Great Storm War started.