Author's Note: Yep, it's a Game of Thrones story. Bet I surprised you guys huh? Yeah? Anyway, recently I was righting Mass Luck and I kept hitting major writers block, so my solution was to make a completely different story and "expand my horizons". This should help with my writers block as it adds something fresh, instead of just constant sci fi stuff.
Any who, to the Game of Thrones fans out there, you may be wondering, "Why write a story on a Greyjoy?" My answer, I have always had a fascination with the Ironborn and their culture, and I feel as if they get left out a lot in the fandom. Plus, I wanted to see what would happen if there had been another son that survived the Greyjoy Rebellion. Would it still be Theon who gets taken, the new brother, or both. Would Robb still send a emissary to treat with Balon in search of help in his war? Would that lead to a different outcome? These are the questions I hope to answer while I write this story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Game of Thrones or A Song of Ice and Fire, as they belong to George R. R. Martin and HBO.
…
The seven year old boy, Daron Greyjoy, stood atop one of the towers of Pyke, his dark, brown hair blowing in the wind. His brother, Maron, by his side. Others were atop the tower as well. Some were trained Ironborn reavers, strong, battle hardened, and good with a bow. Most of the other "soldiers" were actually peasants that had been conscripted from Lordsport and surrounding villages, these were not trained men however. Merely craftsmen, fishermen, and their sons, who had no clue how to hold a axe or bow.
They shouldn't even be here. Forced to fight for a cause they know nothing about. That was a thought that had passed through both the Greyjoy siblings' heads when the "volunteers", as his father called them, came through the gates one day. Of course, when Maron expressed his doubts on the "volunteers" their father, King Balon, had lashed out at him, saying that "They will fight well and serve their king! Do not question me boy!" Maron hadn't spoken to him for days after that.
Not only were the volunteers experience in question, it was the equipment they were working with that worried the brothers, for they both understood that a soldier could have experience but should they not have the right equipment then they would shatter and retreat, this Maron learned from their grandfather, Quellon. Maron then taught Daron the very same lesson. Alas their father did not take this advice to heart.
Yes, the Reavers wore rusted plate armor and chain mail, with patches of leather visible in areas that a metal piece couldn't be found and payed for by "The Iron Price". They all had bows strapped to their backs, axes or swords at their belts, and a shield. All of which made then about as good as a common soldier. But there were simply not enough of them to protect the castle.
Thus their father had come up with the brilliant idea to conscript the men he needed from Lordsport and other towns. He told the local lords to send many of the men to Pyke, for a "special duty". What do they receive for their duty? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
What was worse was the fact that they wore no armor at all, just wool and leather tunics. Their weapons? Hooks made to hang sharks that the fishermen would catch, hammers that the craftsmen used to make their furniture and such other things, and those that were lucky got a throwing axe or knife.
What father hoped to achieve was the illusion that the castle had a full garrison that was well equipped. He did this in the hope that the foolish Baratheon King would be fooled, and besiege the castle instead of openly attacking the castle. What he didn't count on were the advisers of the king to be so cunning in "advanced strategy". Maron had objected to that again, stating, "That foolish Baratheon wouldn't have won the war if he didn't have good advisers, or was competent in basic strategy." That had earned him a slap to the face and his banishment from his father's Small Council.
The brothers stood in silence as they watched the Loyalist forces prepare for the final battle to end their father's foolish rebellion. Daron examined the ships with his light brown eyes scanned the enemy's ships. Their flags fluttered in the wind, he recognized many of them; The Grey Direwolf of House Stark, The Golden Lion of House Lannister, The Silver Trout of House Tully, The Purple Grapes of House Redwyne, The Golden Roses of House Tyrell, The Black Stag of House Baratheon, and the Royal sigil.
So much for, "He won't have the support of the kingdom."
From what Daron could tell there were hundreds of ships surrounding Pyke, with thousands of men on board them. Of course, that's not even counting the land force already parked on Pyke's doorstep. Twelve-thousand Royal, Lannister, and Stark forces, ready to storm a castle gaurded by a total of two-hundred experienced troops. The brothers took in the weight of their predicament, an thought of the events that had lead to their situation.
It had all gone so wrong. First, their idiot brother, Rodrik, had decided to prove himself to father, and so he left to try and take the coastal fortress of Seagaurd. In his last letter, he said that he and his men were close to breaching the walls and that he would be joining his men on the wall. From how he made it sound in the letter, it seemed the Rivermen would be easily defeated. The lack of new letters, however, showed that he had failed in his endeavors, and was most likely dead. Ironic as the last words in the letter were, "What Is Dead May Never Die, Rodrik Greyjoy."
Rodrik's death was later confirmed when a ship bearing the Mallister sigil appeared off the coast of Pyke a week after his last message was received. It simply lowered a raft into the water and sailed away. Then, when the raft was recovered it was revealed to hold the headless body of Rodrik inside. His head mounted on a pike that had been attached to the front of the raft. Father merely took a glance and then sat back on his throne. The rest of the family actually mourned the loss of their family member.
Then, Uncle Victarion had taken the majority of The Iron Fleet in order to stop the king's brother, Stannis Baratheon, from blockading the Iron Isles, and leaving open to invasion. He to, was confident his campaign would end in a victory. Suffice it to say, it ended in a quick and decisive victory for the Loyalists under the command of the Baratheon, Master of Ships, at Fair Isle. In this battle another Greygoy was believed to have been slain, their uncle, Aeron Greyjoy. Again Father barely batted a eye. This battle also resulted in the loss of most of The Iron Fleet, which then left all the islands open to invasion. Something all of the islands were experiencing as of the moment.
The eerie silence was then broken by the sound of a single horn. Then, the sound of soldiers marching. The two brothers looked in the direction of the Royalist army already on Pyke, and Maron spoke, "And so it begins," he then looked back at Daron, "Daron, promise me one thing," Daron nods, "If I should fall in battle, swear to me that you and Theon will look out for one another. Don't just try to keep him safe, don't make him your enemy instead support each other, because after today things will no doubt be very different for our family. I don't know how, but I feel it. In the days ahead, you will need him as much as he will need you. Do you understand? This is no small matter."
Daron nodded his head, albeit slowly as he thought of what could possibly change after today. Maron smiled though, "Now do you swear to protect and stand by your brother?"
"I swear."
"Good, now I must go. It is time for me to face the consequences of our Father's actions... you know what the small folk say do you not?" Daron shook his head, and Maron smiled.
"You reap what you sow... live by those words little brother."
And with that Maron turned on his heel and walked down the tower. Leaving Daron to his thoughts.
I will keep my promise brother, don't worry. No matter what.
…
Reaper: Well guys it's done! I have to say, it felt really good to write something different after just writing sci fi stuff all the time! Sure did help with my writers block and I feel like my creativity has been restored.
Anyway, to the Game Of Thrones fans out there, please review and tell me how I did. Keep in mind I tried to stay as close to the source material as possible, but I decided to add Victarion, a book character, to the story, for the sake of the backstory. I love reviews as they help me figure out what I need to improve when I write my stories, and it would be much appreciated! I hope you enjoyed, and goodbye!
